Spark
by TheQueenOfTheFoxes
Summary: It has been so long since the Lone One has had anything good in his existence. His spark of life comes in the form of... Nita Callahan?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all! Whether you are a new reader or are here to read the revised edition of my old story, welcome! In case you didn't know, this is a completely overhauled version of my old fic, Spark. The old version will be taken down in a week, so read it while you can. Or rather, don't. It really was terrible.  
**

**DD owns all books/characters. Or Roshaun would be back by now.**

**Enjoy!**

Hate. Hate and cruelty and spite. This was what He lived on, preserved, and filled His mind with. He filled His days with causing more of each and wreaking havoc on Their, His pathetic enemies', worlds and universes. He hated and despised anything good and warm, He lived and believed only in the dark and cold.

One late hour, as He was sitting in a human form, His eyes closed, He glimpsed something. A flash of something.

He opened His eyes and saw nothing.

He closed them again, and again a flash darted by, filling His mind with a burning. It burned, but somehow burned in a perfect, painfully brilliant way. Every time He closed His eyes, He saw the spark. It was golden and beautiful, and over time He grew accustomed to seeing it. Though He did not want to, somehow would rather die than admit it, He loved that spark, that flash of piercing goodness. The look of it, and the feeling, the knowledge that he loved it, burned His mind and soul, but He could do nothing _but_ love it. It was odd, not knowing what it was that He loved. He knew only that there was something it that spark, something that matched Him, yet defied Him. Some aspect of that spark _was _Him, yet in all other ways was not.

One of His many enemies was all she was, thwarting Him, slowing His creation. He despised her, hated her, tried to end her again and again. Why could He not? Why, every time He tried, could He not seem to end this one? Never had He failed so often, defeated by this one pathetic being. Why _her_?

Then, as He gazed down upon her, about to attempt to destroy His adversary as He had tried so many times before, and almost wearily excepting failure, He noticed something. In her eyes. A flash. A spark of determination and defiance that burned his soul._ His _spark. The last place He had expected to see His spark, His beloved flash of light, was in Nita Callahan's eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Nita, staring up at the Lone Power, did not expect what happened next. He jerked back, staring at her, into her eyes. His arm, which had been pointing at her, fell to His side. His eyes widened, and He did the very thing Nita least expected him to do.

He vanished. Simply left. Nita looked at Kit in shock. He stared back.

"What the heck…?" Kit asked. Nita shrugged.

"He just vanished!" she said.

"He was staring at you like you grew a third eye."

"Uh… that was _weird._ Do you think He'll be back?" she asked him.

"Dunno. Better check the manual."

Nita opened the manual to her personal listing. The entry under her name said **INACTIVE**.

"Nope. We're done! How weird."

"I guess we should go?" Kit sounded puzzled, exactly how Nita felt.

"Alright." Nita thought while Kit set up the transit circle. It was kind of creepy how the Lone Power just stopped in mid-sentence and stared at her. Looked her straight in the eyes. And then, right when she thought He was about to blast them, He… ran away? Why? They were defenseless. He could have killed them right then and there. Weird was right… She looked down at the glowing world kernel at her feet. "We should probably return this first."

"Oh, right." She bent down and picked up the vibrating tangle, feeling around in it for a certain strand. "Got it." Closing her eyes she concentrated on working around a few of the still vibrating strands. "Man, this thing is shook up. Maybe being that close to _Him_ wigged out its workings. Here we go." She pulled section of a strand, and she and Kit sank through the ground, dropping into a wide triangular space. A moth- type creature slumped on the ground in the corner. Kit walked over and cleared his throat.

"How do we get him- it- up?" 

"Now that you-know-who's gone, the influence should be mostly lifted. Give me a sec." A few minutes more fiddling around in the kernel and the air cooled noticeably. Barely seconds later, the creature on the floor waved its feelers around, then rose into the air, flapping its wings softly. It glanced around with a few of its eyes, then spotted Nita and Kit.

"_Dai._" Kit said, nodding to it. The thing bent double in a kind of bow, then straightened up. It spoke in the speech.

"Welcome, friends! We are eternally grateful for what you have done. A thousand thanks and a thousand compliments to you both! May The Bearer bless you! How can we ever give you thanks enough?" Kit shuffled self-consciously.

"It was nothing. You don't need to go to any trouble." The moth waved its feelers and gave off an offended aura. "Or you can," Kit backtracked hastily, "I just meant-" Nita cut him off.

"My partner only meant that we wish no trouble on those who have so recently been under that One's influence. But we accept your thanks nonetheless." The moth creature bowed again.

"Then accept this _astlinth_, this allegiance between our planet and yours. Forever we will come to your aid, and hopefully you to ours. If ever your planet should require assistance, you will have it."

"Thank you, Ark- Ne. It is an honor. We accept the _astlinth_, our planet is yours. The same conditions apply. But we must depart, to report to our seniors. Take your planet's heart, and guard it." She handed the kernel to the creature, who held it in two jointed legs.

"May you go well, emissary."

"May you as well." Nita said. The creature fished inside the kernel, and she and Kit shot up through the ceiling.

"Jeez, Neets," Kit said, looking at her, "Where did all that come from? Ark-Ne?"

"Bobo was feeding me information on this planet's customs and etiquette. Ark-Ne is a respectful term like senior."

"Oh. Right, well, let's go then. To Tom and Carl's?"

"Sure. We need to tell them about the _astlinth_. That's important. And see if they have anything to say about how He acted." They set up the transit circle quickly. Kit looked at Nita.

"Let's go." Nita stepped into the circle, and Kit followed.

They appeared in front of the front door. As Kit rang the bell, Annie and Monty started barking their heads off. Kit's expression changed from thoughtful to sad in an instant.

"Listen, Kit…" Nita said, and then paused, at a loss for what to say, "It's OK. I know you miss him." She put her arms around him and hugged him. When she pulled back Kit looked a little surprised, and then smiled softly at her.

"Thanks."

"Hey guys!" Carl opened the door. "What's going on?"

"Can we come in?" Kit asked, "We have some important news from our assignment on KsarVihnnhu."

"Let's go." Carl led them in to the kitchen and called for Tom, who joined them at the table.

"Tell us what's going on." Tom said. Recounting how their mission had gone didn't take long, but when Nita reached the point where the Lone One disappeared, she paused.

"Let me get this straight," said Carl, "He _ran away_?" He looked just as confused as Nita felt.

"Yup," said Kit, "Just looked at Nita funny and vanished. He looked almost shocked. We don't know why, though."

Tom was paging through one volume of his manual.

"I can't find any record of anything of this sort happening before. This is very unusual, Nita. I guess you just got lucky."

"Alright," said Nita uneasily. But she had a hunch that luck was not the case. But she pushed it to the back of her mind and continued. "And it gave joined the planet in _astlinth_ to earth. Tom stared at her.

"_Astlinth_? Really? That's never happened before."

"I think it's a custom thing," Nita said, "They see us as representatives of the planet, or the planet itself. If they thank us, they thank the entire planet."

"Well. It certainly is useful. I'll have to inform Irina, of course. But good job, you two."

"Thanks," said Nita. Then she looked at her watch. "Oh, gosh Kit, look at the time! We've got to go!" They hurriedly got up, said goodbye to Tom and Carl, and walked towards the door.

"See you kids later!" Tom called after them.

"Bye!" Nita and Kit both shouted behind them.

"Wait," Nita told Kit, "I want to see if the fish have anything to say. You never know."

They walked around to the fishpond. They peered into it, and in a few seconds a big gold and white koi fish poked its head out. It looked at Nita, sizing her up, then grudgingly recited:

_Beware of a new _

_Form from which the dark one seeks_

_The light of his past_

"Whatever that mean,." Kit muttered. The koi spat a dime at him and it hit him in the forehead. "Hey!"

"Thank you," Nita said hurriedly, pulling Kit away.

Nita walked with Kit back to his house, then transited back to her front yard. She walked then stopped dead. Dairine and Roshaun were on the couch, apparently asleep. Dairine was curled next to Roshaun , her head resting on his chest, her eyes closed. He had a hand beneath her head, gently massaging her neck, his eyes also closed. He looked amazingly relaxed and open, with no superior expression or kingly glare to turn on someone. Nita walked softly passed, careful not to disturb such a peaceful moment.

Nita quickly made herself a sandwich for dinner; her dad was working late today, and went up to her room. She changed into her pajamas and into bed. It was not long before she slipped into sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The Lone Power sat, His eyes still wider than usual, thinking. And thinking. About His spark. And the girl. Nita. She was not worthy to house his own spark. Or was the spark _Nita_? The creature He despised so much, his enemy, who went out of her way to stop Him at every turn. How was this possible? He closed His eyes, and saw that His spark was still there. Unexplained relief flooded through Him, relief He could not explain. For some unfathomable reason, He felt that if His precious spark disappeared, He could not go on existing without it. Or was it a she? Was there even a difference? How could he tell? He had a sudden stroke of inspiration. His eyes closed, and He relaxed back in his seat, slipping into a trance, as close to sleep as one such as He could come.

He walked down a paved pathway in a dream, her dream to be specific, Nita's, and examined his surroundings. The sides of the street were lined with diagrams of spells, simple and complex alike. At one point He stopped beside one and stared. Incredible. It was one that He had never seen before. How was that possible?

He glimpsed a flash at the end of the road, and sped up. He looked down at Himself; He was in human form wearing a black suit and… red hair? This must be how the girl saw Him. Interesting.

He reached the end of the road where Nita was standing. He tried to make himself invisible, so that she would not notice if He were to walk up to her, but it did not work. This was her dream path, after all, and in a dream, even one such as this, you had to abide by the dreamer's rules.

She saw Him come, and to her credit, stayed cool and collected.

"Fairest and fallen," she said, "Greeting and defiance." And He saw again in her eyes, His spark of determination and… sameness. Everyone had a bit of Him inside them, He knew, and her part was no larger, but somehow, to Him, it was more prominent. It was as if He noticed every detail of her through that one spark. It drew him, that spark. He stood a few feet from her, staring, trying to decide if the spark was in her or if she was the spark.

Nita looked unnerved by His staring. She looked back at Him, however, with no fear in her eyes,

"Why are you staring at me? Why did you stare at me before?" she asked, a touch nervously. She had noticed, apparently, that something was different about Him.

It was odd, but as He stood there staring, taking in her long hair, and her strong eyes and light features, it seemed that He saw the spark in each one. As if… as if she was the spark. That settled it. He had the answer he came for. But… but He found Himself walking forward, stopping only a foot or so from where she stood. She looked more nervous now, but did not back down. Admirable. He still had not spoken, did not even know why He was still there. He had the strangest urge… to walk closer, to touch her hair… His spark…

He left, leaving Nita standing there on her dream path wondering what had just happened.


	4. Chapter 4

Nita awoke, sweating. The dream. Why had it seemed so real? Was it lucid dreaming? But she didn't have the spell. What on earth had happened? The Lone Power, in her dream, right after he had done that disappearing act? Too coincidental. She could have sworn his hand twitched right before he disappeared, but she wasn't sure.

She reached beside her and grabbed her manual off the table. Nita focused on what she could remember of the dream and fed it to the recording section. She was sure she could recall most of it, it had seemed much clearer than ususal . She sent it to Tom and Kit, maybe one of them would understand something about it before she did. A glance at the clock informed her it was seven thirty. Earlier than she would have liked, but it was possible Kit was awake.

_Kit?_

Nothing. She heard snoring, and some background noise that was probably a dream, but that was it. He was probably still drained from their assignment the previous day. She was still pretty tired herself, but her half-hearted attempt to fall back asleep failed.

_Might as well get up, _she thought grudgingly. She swung her legs out of bed and pulled on some clothes. She tiptoed down the hall, so as not to wake Dairine, but there was no need. Dairine was already awake. So was Roshaun. Nita moved on hurriedly, deciding it was better to just go have breakfast.

Over a bowl of cornflakes, Nita further pondered her dream. She'd have to discuss it with Tom later today if he had time. It was unusual, even with her track record.

Why hadn't He said anything? Maybe He couldn't talk in her dream. But she should have been able to control that. It was _her_ dream, even if it was not lucid. She sighed, deciding it was easier to put the matter to rest for the moment. Wait until she had some more heads to help. She felt a headache starting.

The sound of creaking floorboards came from upstairs, then running water. Dairine. Probably Roshaun was still up there too. When he had disappeared, Dairine had been devastated. She spent all her spare time, and some not spare time, on Wellakh, learning how to work with stars. She had become a veritable recluse at home, spending all her time in her room with Spot, researching disappearances and trying to find any clues as to where Roshaun was.

When she had finally found him, stranded on a tiny meteor on the edge of a solar system light years away, surviving barely on stored lollipops, with next to none power or energy, it had taken them months to get him back to normal. Since then, they had become nearly inseparable. Nita thought that Dairine and Roshaun were afraid that something like that would happen again, and were trying to spend as much time as possible together as possible. It was sweet, she thought, that both of them were so devoted. Dairine was going to spend her spring break, and probably summer too, on Wellakh, continuing her star training and spending more time with Roshaun. _As if she needs it,_ she thought.

Nita realized that her cornflakes were gone, and got up to rinse the bowl, then tried Kit again.

_Kit?_

_Nng. _

_C'mon, get up. Check your manual. I had a weird dream. Input, please?_

She heard Kit reach over, grab his manual and watch the dream replay.

_This was your dream?_

_Yeah. Weird, huh?_

_Uh, yeah. Did you send it to Tom?_

_Of course, dummy. What do you think?_

_Sorry!  
_

'_S fine, I'm just tired. Come over?_

_Sure. 5 minutes. We can talk about this then. _

_Bye._

He cut the connection. Nita couldn't blame him; it was too early to think about things. Dairine and Roshaun came down the stairs, hand in hand.

"Morning, Neets," Dairine yawned, then rummaged in the cupboard.

"You ate all the cornflakes?" she yelled, turning on Nita.

"Relax, Dair," Nita replied, "They're on the counter."

"Oh." Dairine poured two bowls of cornflakes, then sat down, handing one to Roshaun, who sat next to her.

"What's up? You look stressed."

"Well, I had a weird dream. And a long day yesterday." Nita told her about the assignment. Dairine had ever heard of _astlinth_, but apparently it was common on Wellakh, and Roshaun was fairly impressed. That took some doing, these days. Then Nita moved on to the dream.

"Here, look." She brought up the recorded dream, and then passed her manual across the table to Dairine. She and Roshaun bent their heads to look at the same time. Nita heard the noisy sound of popping air outside, and Kit walked in a few seconds later.

"Morning Neets. Morning, lovebirds," Kit said, directing the last at Dairine and Roshaun.

"Lovebirds?" asked Roshaun.

_Pluto_… thought Dairine, and Nita could see her thoughtfully lining up the spell in her head.

"Stop it, Dair. It's not nice to send someone to Pluto without air." Nita gave Kit a look.

"Aw, c'mon. I'd leave him a little."

"_No._"

"Hey, cornflakes!" Kit got a bowl and pulled the box over.

"Oh, sure, take whatever you want!" Nita said sarcastically.

"Alright."

"And anyway, what is it with cornflakes all the sudden? Everyone's eating them."

"They do not have much of a taste," remarked Roshaun thoughtfully, "But they are filling."

"Is this really all we have to talk about?" Dairine asked, sounding bored.

"No," Roshaun replied, sounding serious, "Nita's dream. That is very unusual."

"You think that's unusual," Kit told him, "Wait till you hear about our assignment!"

"I already told them, Kit."

"What? Without me? Wait, everything? Even about how you-know-who vanished?" Dairine glared at Nita. 

"No, she must have left that part out!"

"Oops," Nita muttered, "I was focused on my dream. Here's what happened."

They filled Dairine and Roshaun in on their assignment, and both agreed that it was extremely odd, and even more confusing. Roshaun thought that He might have sensed another Power coming, and took off, but there was no evidence to prove anything of the sort. Dairine thought that the assignment and the dream were connected, and that the Lone Power was trying to tell Nita something, but Nita's dreaming mind blocked him out.

"You're probably right, Dair," Nita said, "I have a feeling that they're connected. But why would I be blocking him? And don't you think I'd realize it if I was?"

"Maybe," Kit said, "But there's a possibility that, since you didn't have the lucid dreaming wizardry active, that your subconscious sensed danger and stopped Him from doing whatever he was going to do."

"It is not common," Roshaun said, "For the Isolate to appear in a dream. Usually He prefers face to face confrontation, or else an overshadowing."

"Ugg," groaned Kit, "I'm getting a headache. We don't have enough evidence to prove any of these theories. Do we just wait for something else to happen?"

Nita looked thoughtful. "Maybe we just need another point of view. Kit…" Kit's eyes widened.

"No! Please, no. Do we have to involve her in everything? Come on, we can figure this out on our own!"

"Kit. If it'll help solve the problem, then we really need more input here. C'mon, let's go."

"Where are we going?" asked Roshaun.

"Kit's house," Nita answered, "Carmela might pick up on something we missed."

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

As Carmela got up and out of bed, bed being where she had been when five wizards transited into her bedroom, the said wizards trooped down the stairs to wait in the living room. The TV was on, if it could even be called a TV now.

_And appearing now,_ an alien announcer on screen said in the Speech, _Krllillr is here with the Kanthban news receiver to talk over the issues of _ (a word Nita didn't know) _and the celebration applauding it. _The announcer went on to explain that a celebration of- chocolate?- was taking place, because the planed Kanthban had received a kleb (a form of measurement for that planet) of milk chocolate. Nita couldn't help but wonder if Carmela had anything to do with that.

As if on cue, Carmela came down the stairs, "hair curler" in her back pocket and a new little gizmo in her hand.

"Is Ronan here?" Carmela asked, looking hopeful. Nita just shook her head. "Oh."

"What's that?" Dairine pointed to the gadget in Carmela's hand, which looked like a small cell phone, but with a lot more digits.

Carmela glanced it and smiled deviously. _Uh oh. _Kit thought.

"Oh, this? It was a present from… some people. I did them a favor and they gave me this. It's like a portable gate. I dial in the coordinates and it enters them into a pre prepared gating wizardry in the phone and sets it up. Unlimited. Don't need my magic closet anymore. Isn't that handy?"

Everyone in the room stared at the object Carmela was nonchalantly tossing in the air.

"That would take an enormous amount of power to make. Must have been some favor. Who gave it to you?"

"Oh, it was a big favor. At least, to the Kanthbanii it was. They gave it to me. I'm sort of like a celebrity there."

Kit turned towards the TV, where the people of Kanthban were doing a ceremonial dance around about twelve bars of chocolate.

"Oh, no. Carmela…"

"Oh, yes. Chocolate is a very profitable business. You should see how many bids I get when I auction it off. Not for money, of course. Favors and stuff. Like this." She tossed the gating remote in the air again.

Kit groaned.

"Carmela," Nita said, "We actually need you to look at something. It's a dream I had, and I want to see what you make of it. We're all stumped." Nita took out her manual.

"In there?" Carmela asked.

"Yep. It has a recording and playback program."

"Cool. Let's see it."

Carmela looked down at the manual, watching intently as the dream replayed.

"Hmm."

"You notice anything?"

"Well, you never told me that the Lone Power was shy."

"Huh?" Nita, Kit and Dairine all said at once. Roshaun looked slightly left out.

"Well, of course," Carmela explained, "He obviously wants to tell you something, Nita, but He's too shy."

"Um, Carmela," laughed Kit, "If there is one thing that One is not, it's shy."

"That's what you think. Anyway, I have to go. Selling chocolate intergalacticly isn't as easy as it looks, you know. Thanks for waking me up, I have a meeting with a representative from Reiloth IIV." And she skipped up the stairs and into her room, fiddling with some buttons on her portable gate cell phone thingy.

Nita looked at Kit.

"Are you sure she isn't a wizard?"

"I can never really tell."


	5. Chapter 5

Pondering. Thinking. For hours He was consumed in thought. Extremely unusual, for Him. For once, the solution (or problem) was not obviously clear to Him. What to do. The strange urge that had gripped Him in the dream had not let Him go, the desire just to be near her. No, not her, His spark. It was His spark He wanted.

His own spark, suddenly appearing in His opponent? Too coincidental. It reeked of His brother, but His judgment was clouded. All He could focus on was getting close to His spark again. After more hours had passed, He knew that she would be resting again. Once more He slipped into her dreams.

This time He found Himself immediately at the end of the path, where Nita was standing last time. She was there now, and seemed to be expecting Him. He appeared a small distance from her, and this time she took a step forward and spoke to Him.

"Fairest and Fallen, once again greeting and defiance." She stared at Him to see how He would respond, but He remained silent. Nita continued, looking determined.

"You were in my mind last night, and again tonight, and I don't know why. Are you going to tell me? Can you talk? Am I blocking you? You can just nod or shake your head."

The girl sounded genuinely curious, puzzled over why He never spoke. Perhaps He should say something, but His only response was to take a step towards her, hesitantly, against His better judgment. Once again He fully meant _not _to take a step, but He was somehow drawn to the spark that was her, or throughout her.

She looked nervous, but did not step back. Possibly she thought He would explain His silence, but He only took one more hesitant step closer, His legs moving Him forward even though His mind told them not to. There was only one step separating them now, and Nita took a step back, grasping at a charm on a bracelet on her wrist. He looked closer. Not a charm, a shield spell. She thought He was going to try to kill her. For some reason, the thought sent a pang through His being, somewhere in his chest. He took half a step back, and opened His mouth…

…And was back sitting where He had been, before entering the dream. Had she woken up? Yes, that was it. She did not want to be killed in her sleep, as she thought she would be, and had woken to avoid the danger. But now this recent excursion had given Him things to wonder about.

What was going on? He… what? He what? He ached with longing, half wanting to dive back into the dream and simply stand there, in the warmth. He wanted to be near her. No, not her, He reminded Himself, near His spark. That was the only thing He knew. Impossible. He could keep visiting in dreams, but they ended so quickly, and He did not seem to be able to talk in them.

He felt the steady ache His chest, when He was in a human form at least, pulling him somewhere. In the back of His mind, He knew that if He followed that pull, it would take Him to her. No, to His spark. That was what he wanted. That was all He wanted, it seemed.

But what was this? This thought, accepting the impossible. No. He was Himself, and He was accepting defeat. A flash of defiance lit His mind. Impossible? He would have what He wanted, and no silly child would stop Him, no limitations, no rules. He would find his spark.


	6. Chapter 6

**C'mon, c'mon, I know you want to... review!**

Nita woke blinked, and yawned. Then the night's events reached her mind and she sat bolt up. She felt around for her manual and record her dream, frustrated.

_Geeze, why won't It say something?_

_Huh?_

_Kit? Sorry, just thinking to myself._

_Another weird dream?_

_Yup. Do you know what time it is?_

_You couldn't just look over at your clock?_

_Kit…_

_Alright, fine, it's 6:45. _

_What? It's Monday! School's in 15 minutes! Why didn't you wake me up? Or Dad or Dairine?_

_We thought you needed the rest. I was gonna get you up in a sec, anyway._

_I'll have to transit over. See you at lunch._

_See ya._

Nita rolled out of bed, grabbed some clothes from the closet, and hurriedly dressed while brushing her teeth. No time for breakfast now, she grabbed a cereal bar and her backpack as she went by. She practically threw the circle on the ground, setting the spell in record time, and appeared in a stall of the girl's bathroom as if the Lone One himself was after her.

She dashed into her first class, barely skidding through the door as the bell rang. She dropped her backpack in her seat, and pulled out Friday's homework.

Her teacher had pulled some unfortunate student to the front of the class, a boy a little taller than her with red hair and all black clothes. He looked a bit out of place, awkwardly staring around at them all. He was cute, really.

"Listen up, boys and girls." said Mrs. Amae "Class, this is our new student, Daniel. He just moved to town. Daniel, why don't you go sit at that open desk, next to Nita back there." The boy nodded slowly and sat down.

"Hi." Nita said when Mrs. Amae started getting into the lesson. "I'm Nita."

"I know." Daniel replied, "Mrs. Amae said. You probably know that I'm Daniel, as she so kindly announced to the class. "

Nita smiled. Looking at him closer, he was actually really cute. His red hair fell over his eyes in a way that made him seem shy, though Nita could tell he wasn't. Something about his eyes.

"Yeah. So, where are you from?"

"Um, Washington."

"Whoa. That's literally across the country. Must have been a long trip."

"Shorter than you think."

"What classes do you have?" Nita asked.

"Mrs. Amae, Mr. Dan, Mrs. Kae, Lunch, Ms. Peterson, and Mr. Shipman for study hall.

Nita blinked in surprise.

"Wow. That's my… um… exact schedule."

"That's weird. Well, at least I'll know one person in my classes."

He looked right at her, and she could have sworn there was something in his eyes. A shadow.

"Are you wearing contacts?"

"Me? No. My vision's always been fine."

"Nita, Daniel, pay attention!" Mrs. Amae scolded from the front of the room. Nita blushed, and a few kids in the class snickered.

Daniel walked with her to Mr. Dan's science class, but sat on the other side of the room, partners with a boy named Calvin.

At lunch she sat with Kit as usual, and noticed Daniel looking a little lost in search of a table. She waved him over to where she and Kit were sitting.

"Hey Daniel, this is Kit. Kit, Daniel just moved here from Washington."

"That's really far," Kit said, "You miss all your friends?"

"Um, not really." Daniel looked shy for a moment. "I didn't really have a lot. And by a lot I mean any." Kit laughed.

They chatted about friends and school and hobbies until lunch was over, then Nita said goodbye to Kit and walked with Daniel to her next class.

After school, as she was heading off to meet Kit by the fence, Daniel caught up with her.

"Hey. What are you doing this afternoon?"

"Oh. Kit and I were just going to do some stuff." They were actually going to consult Tom and Carl, and maybe the fish, about Nita's troubling dreams. Hopefully the seniors would shed some light on the subject.

"Oh." Daniel looked a little dejected, and Nita felt sorry for him. It must be hard to be in a totally different place with no friends. She had spent a few years in the _same_ place with no friends.

"Hey, how about tomorrow after school we all go get some ice cream? I know a good place just down the street."

"Oh, hey, that'd be great! Right after school?"

"Sure. See you tomorrow." They had reached the fence and Kit was walking over.

"Ok. Bye!"

"What about tomorrow?" Kit asked. "You guys going on a date or something?"

"No, dummy. We're all going to get ice cream at the Frozen's Deli."

"Great! I love Frozen's."

"I know. Now let's go see Tom and Carl."

Tom and Carl were equally stumped about both of the dreams, once she had shown everyone the most recent.

"Roshaun thinks another power was coming so He ran away, Dairine thinks He's trying to tell me something to do with our last assignment, and Carmela thinks He's shy." Nita ticked the theories off on her fingers. Carl choked on his soda and Tom chuckled.

"Carmela does have quite an imagination, but she's been right before. Most of the time, actually. If I have any advice, it's listen to Carmela's hunches, even though this one's a bit… ludicrous. Besides that, keep recording the dreams, but don't come to us for every one unless it's something important, ok? I don't mean to be rude, but we're in the middle of a pretty important job."

"Am I allowed to ask what?" Nita said.

"Yes, but I can't tell you." Tom winked. "I'll let you know when the time's right. In the meantime, there doesn't seem to be an immediate threat, but be on your guard anyways."

"We'll leave you to it, then." Kit stood and pushed his chair in. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem." Carl answered. "See you later."

"Bye!"

The pair transited to Kit's house. The smell of chicken wafted up the stairs into his bedroom where they had landed, and Nita nearly trampled Kit in the rush for the door.

"Thanks for letting me eat here, Mrs. Rodriguez." Nita said.

"No problem, Nita. You're welcome anytime." Carmela sat down next to Nita.

"What were you guys doing after school today?" Nita looked at Kit.

"We went to see Tom and Carl. About Nita's dreams."

"I'm right, aren't I? The Lone One has a long, complicated history of shyness, and He's trying to break the barrier that seperates him mentally from other sentient species after centuries of loneliness?" Carmela smirked, and Nita burst out laughing.

"Close, 'Mela. Nothing so drastic. Tom only told us to trust your hunches."

"Victory!" She yelled, pumping her fist in the air. "At long last!" Kit sullenly stuck a piece of chicken in his mouth.

"Thanks again, Mrs. Rodriguez!" Shouted Nita through the back door sometime later, before transiting to her own backyard.

Her dad was in the kitchen. Nita snuck up behind him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Hi, daddy! I didn't know you would be home!"

"Oh, hi Nita. Long time no see." Harry Callahan joked.

Nita laughed. He had a point.

"I know. It's been kind of busy."

"I know, honey. You guys are busier than most adults I know."

"It's all part of the job. But our assignment went really well. More than well in fact. I got earth a sort of alliance with another planet. It hasn't happened before on earth. Even Roshaun was impressed." Her father raised an eyebrow.

"That must be serious then, to get the King of Everything was impressed. Good job! I probably wouldn't understand the details."

"Probably not." Nita smiled and yawned. "Sorry. I gotta get to bed, I'm beat. Mondays."

" I hear you. Goodnight, sweetie."

"Night Dad."

Nita headed up the stairs and stopped outside Dairine's room. Her bedside lamp was on.

"Dairine? Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Nita walked in Dairine's room and glanced around. Dairine was sitting on her bed reading in her pajamas.

"Where's Roshaun?"

Dairine gave her a weird look.

"In his pup tent. Where do you think?"

"I dunno. I kinda thought he was a permanent fixture. I was starting to think of him as a smarter than average piece of furniture."

Dairine threw a pillow at her.

"What do you need?"

"Nothing, just saying goodnight."

"Night Neets. Good luck with your dreams. I hope you figure it out."

"Yeah, me too."


	7. Chapter 7

The Lone One once again leaned back, resting. It was tiresome to send a full avatar for so long into a world so far from His. But it had been worth it. He felt better than He had in a long while, just to be in such a close vicinity to His spark. Yes, simply overshadowing a being to suit His own needs would take less energy, but there was always risk of discovery. The girl and her companions had met quite a few overshadowed beings a while back, and would likely catch on.

Satisfied was not usually a word to describe Him, yet He found Himself very nearly that. Being near His spark, The spark, filled Him in some way.

Into her dreams He slipped again, and this third time appeared just a few feet from where she was waiting, arms crossed. He played a dangerous game, visiting so many times, but He could not help Himself. The spark drew Him. She spoke immediately, not waiting to see if He would say anything.

"Fairest and Fallen," she repeated, "Again greeting and defiance. I don't know why you can't speak, if it is because I will not let you or if you simply will not. If you can speak, please say something."

He stared at her and opened His mouth, and tried to say something. Anything. No sound came out. He knew that He could speak; He could feel it, yet something held Him back. It felt as though whatever He said to her would come out a threat, a curse. So He closed His mouth and simply looked at her. She looked frustrated, trying to figure out why He would not or could not speak. As He watched, she released a spell from her bracelet and activated it. A visible wave of gold characters in the Speech went off around them in rings, surrounding them.

"If you were unable to talk because of something in the dream, or my subconscious, you can now and nothing will block you." She told Him, looking expectant. There was a pregnant pause.

Again He opened and closed His mouth, unable to think of anything to say. It showed in her face that she understood now that it was because He was choosing not to talk when He said nothing, not some limitation of her dream state. She vanished, and so did He, taking back with him the sound of a sharp ringing, an alarm clock. He concentrated and focused His energy, a writhing black mass, towards the earth, her earth, and siphoned off a pinprick. It formed itself into the shape of a human boy, with red hair and black clothes.


	8. Chapter 8

Eating breakfast, cornflakes again, Nit on the verge of contacting Kit through their mind-link when Roshaun walked in.

"Morning, Roshaun."

"Good morning. Are there any more cornflakes?"

"Yeah, they're in the cupboard."

The king of Wellakh said nothing else.

_He's so… terse._

_Who, King Amazing?_

_Kit! I was about to see if you could come over. I had another dream. Roshaun's down here and that means Dairine will be shortly._

'_K. Be right there. You recorded the dream, right?_

_Yeah. _

_See you in a second. Over and out. _

He walked in just as Dairine came down the stairs.

"Morning, Neets and friends."

"Morning." They all said at the same time and laughed.

"Ready for ice cream?" Nita asked Kit, as he got down a bowl.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. Yep, I don't know if there's a time when I'm _not_ ready for ice cream."

"Good point."

"Ice cream?" Dairine and Roshaun asked together. Dairine loved ice cream, and Roshaun had acquired a fascination of frozen food.

"Yup. After school Kit, a new kid, Daniel, and me are going down to Frozen's. Want to come?"

"Sure!" Dairine said. "We'll meet you by the fence after school."

"Fine." Kit said. "C'mon, Neets, let's go."

"Wait!" Nita said. "My dream."

"You had another one?" Dairine asked.

"Yep. It's a lot shorter this time, though. Take a look." Nita set her manual on the table turned to the page of her most recent dream. They all watched the playback: The Lone Power appearing, Nita questioning Him and releasing the spell, His resistance to speech. But, just as the recording was ending, something appeared. A flash of red sparked in place of the Lone Power as He disappeared.

"That was new." Nita remarked. "I didn't notice that in my dream."

"Probably 'cause you were waking up." Said Dairine.

"At least we know one thing for sure." Roshaun said. "The Isolate is not being prevented from speaking, He is choosing not to."

"Maybe…" Kit paused, looking sickened. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe Carmela was right. It looks like He _is _shy. Ugg, it burns."

"That's the only reason we have." Nita said. "So, until proved otherwise, the Lone Power is shy. That concept is going to take some getting used to."

Dairine looked thoughtful. "I'll do some research. Maybe there are other situations like this. There's got to be at least a few, in the entire universe. And beyond."

"I will also look for anything that might be helpful." Roshaun said generously. "While you are at school."

"Thanks." Nita said. "We've gotta stop by Kit's house before school to show 'Mela, though, so we'd better get going.

"See ya after school," Nita told Dairine, " And make sure Roshaun here acts human when we get ice cream."

At Kit's house, while Kit was finishing his cornflakes that he had brought from Nita's house, Kit's mama came down the stairs.

"Morning, Mrs. Rodriguez." Nita said politely.

"Oh, Nita, I didn't expect to see you here this early. Good morning. And Kit, I thought we were all out of cornflakes."

"We are, Mama. These are Nita's."

"Oh. Well, you could have brought me some."

Nita laughed.

"I'm serious!" She protested.

"Ok, Mama, I'll remember next time. But now we've gotta see Carmela."

"You two sure are getting closer lately. It's about time."

"I wouldn't say closer, exactly…"

"More like we need her opinion of a few things. Errantry stuff." Nita finished.

"Oh. That's not so different. It's still good to see you spending more time together."

"Sure Mama, whatever you say. C'mon, Nita." They headed up the stairs and knocked on Carmela's door.

"Come on in." Carmela called through the wood. They entered to find Carmela placing stacks of chocolate bars into a cooler.

"God to keep it in mint condition." Carmela said, in answer to their questioning looks.

"I think you're beginning to obsess." Nita told her. "How much time do you spend trading chocolate to aliens?"

"The necessary amount." Carmela sniffed, and sat down on her bed. "Was there something you needed, or did you just come here to criticize my business?"

"Yeah, actually." Nita told her. "Another dream. Take a look." She set her manual on Carmela's bedspread, and waited for her comments on the replaying dream.

"I rest my case." Carmela decided. "Either He's shy, or has something stuck in His throat, and I don't think the second one's possible."

"What about that red flash?" Insisted Kit.

"I don't know. It looked a bit like thread or feathers to me."

"Ok. Well, if you get any sudden epiphanies, make sure you tell us."

"Right. Was there anything else? I gotta ship this to Rigurath Alta Z before school." She gestured to the cooler of chocolate.

"No, that's it. Good luck trading. I hear the eDras are tough to barter with."

"I'm sure we'll work something out. See you later!"

"Bye." Kit followed Nita out the door and back into the kitchen, where Mrs. Rodriguez was scrambling eggs.

"Bye, Mama." Kit said. "We're gonna head to school. Oh, and we're going out for ice cream at Frozen's afterwards, with a new kid." 

"Sure, that sounds fine. See you after that. It's nice to see you making new friends." Kit rolled his eyes at Nita. "Nita, are you eating with us?"

"No, Mrs. Rodriguez, sorry. It's my turn to cook for four at home."

"Ok, but you're welcome to come over anytime." 

"Thanks. I probably will." Nita smiled. "Let's go, Kit. I can't be late again."

"Bye Mama."

"Bye kids. Have fun."

"Fun at school," Kit whispered to Nita, "Yeah, right."

After school, Nita and Daniel walked together from their last class to the fence where Kit was waiting."

"Hola, people. Ready for some ice cream?"

"Yeah." Daniel said. "Let's go."

"Wait," Nita told him, "We have some more people coming."

As if on cue, Dairine walked up with Roshaun, holding his hand, Spot presumably in the bag that was slung over her shoulder.

"Daniel, this is my sister Dairine, and her, uh, boyfriend Roshaun." It seemed odd to call Roshaun Dairine's boyfriend, they seemed so much more than that. But there wasn't a word for that in English, and Nita couldn't talk in the Speech to Daniel. "They're coming to Frozen's with us."

"Nice to meet you." Daniel said politely. "That's an interesting name."

"Yeah, my dad has weird taste. I get lots of dairy-related nicknames." Dairine smirked.

"Actually, I was, uh, talking to Roshaun." Daniel looked embarrassed.

"I know." Dairine laughed. "I was just messing with you. Roshaun's not from the US."

"Really?" Daniel looked at Roshaun. "Where are you from?" Nita hoped that Dairine had thought an answer to that one. Luckily, she had.

"An island near Australia. I came here when I was one, so I don't know much about it."

"That's neat." Daniel said. "I'm from Washington." Roshaun nodded, pretending he knew where Washington was."

Nita looked at Roshaun, who was walking along beside Dairine, a small smile on his mouth. He looked deceivingly human. He was wearing a baggy white shirt and brown pants, and had a wizardry on his hair, making it appear shorter. The only thing that stood out was the fact that he still wasn't over the tourist personality yet, and kept sneaking glances at fire hydrants and mailboxes when he thought no one was looking.

"What about you? Nita?" Daniel had asked her a question as she had been pondering Roshaun's disguise.

"Hm? Sorry, what?" 

Daniel rolled his eyes. "You have a lot of homework?"

"A bit. But I have the same amount as you." Kit look at her questioningly. "We have the exact same schedule."

"Really? That's weird." Kit said. "Coincidence?" Nita shrugged.

They turned into the ice cream parlor. Frozen's was the local favorite, and it's strawberry ice cream had won quite a few contests.

They sat at a table with an umbrella over it outside the shop, licking their cones.

"Is that a laptop?" Daniel had spotted Spot residing in Dairine's bag. A corner of the silver computer was poking out.

"Uh, yeah." Dairine said a little nervously, pulling Spot out. Thankfully, they seemed to be communicating mind to mind, because he stayed looking like a tiny silver laptop, and Nita could see a haze of wizardry around the apple on the cover, making it look like a regular bitten one.

"Cool!" Daniel said. "I'm getting one next year. What kind is that?"

"Um, a Mac."

"Neat. I was thinking about getting that kind. That's really small."

"Yeah…" Spot had just had a recent upgrade, and was smaller and more alive than ever. He was even starting to overcome the computerized accent.

A few minutes passed in peaceful silence, save the crunching of ice cream cones. When everyone had finished, hey stood and started the walk home. Daniel headed in the opposite direction, taking the first turn down the road. The rest headed back the way they had come, chatting amiably. Spot poked a few of his eyes out of Dairine's bag.

"That was close." He said in his little voice, looking up at Dairine.

"You're telling me. Good thing you had that wizardry up. He was bound to notice the apple."

Roshaun reached over to pat the top of one of Spot's eyes, and a cat-like purring emanated from the bag.

'That's new." Dairine commented.

"Yes, I don't really mean to do that, it just happens. A bit embarrassing, if you ask me." The computer replied.

"It's cute."

Kit turned off onto his street, promising to do some research on the Lone Power.

"Speaking of research," Nita began, turning to Roshaun. He cut her off before she could finish.

"I found nothing." He sounded irritated. "There are of course the rare occasions when the Isolate has not participated in an ordeal, but this is very different. There was a reference to a time on Dringidg 19V when He actually bought one of their specialty drinks in a bar, but a lot of people think that's just a myth. Other than that, an annoying amount of nothing."

"It's alright." Nita told him. "I didn't really expect a hundred similar occurrences. Our situation might be unique."

"Perhaps." He replied.

"Hey, Daniel's pretty cute." Dairine told Nita as they turned onto their street.

"Yeah, I guess." Nita had, in fact, noticed that many times since Monday, as she spent her entire school day around him.

Dairine gave Nita a look, and then went up the stairs to her room with Roshaun, while Nita started her homework at the kitchen table.

A few hours later, after spending twenty minutes on a math problem and still not solving it, she decided it would be best to take a break and make dinner. Opening the cupboard, she found a box of crackers, a box of pasta, and one heel of a loaf of bread.

_Pasta it is, then. _She thought, putting a pot of water on the counter and talking it into boiling. She dumped in the pasta before leaning against the counter, catching her breath from the wizardry.

Her dad walked in the front door, and Nita heard him hanging up his coat in the closed.

"Hey, Nita. What's for dinner?"

She went and hugged him, smiling sadly at his question. It was part of his routine before her mom died, when he would come home from work and she would be busy in the kitchen.

"Pasta." She told him, gesturing towards the pot.

"Ah, pasta. The breath of life." She looked at him questioningly, and he just shrugged. "We seem to have it so much… I'll go get Dairine and Roshaun. Where are they?"

"Dairine's room."

Nita heard him walking up the stairs, then opening Dairine's door. A pause. Nita's dad shouted a few things at Dairine and Roshaun, told them to come down for dinner, and stomped back down the stairs, his face unreadable. Nita could guess what had happened.

"I wish your mother was here." He said, frustrated, and then looked sad.

"It's ok, dad. We all do." Nita went and hugged him, then plopped tangles of pasta into four bowls.

Dairine and Roshaun came down, very carefully _not _holding hands, and sat down silently. As Nita brought the bowls over, she saw her dad shoot a glare at Roshaun. Nita sighed.

They ate quickly, and Nita soon sat cross-legged on her bed finishing her math homework.

It was another hour before she finished and slipped off into sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Nita woke up surprised at the lack of dreams, save the one where she had been eating ice cream with a polar bear in a toga.

Her morning was routine. Kit didn't stop by before school, seeing as she'd had no new dreams to report. Roshaun was planning on going to her dad's shop with him while Dairine was at school. He had suddenly developed a desire to learn more about Earth's culture, it seemed. That, or he was simply bored.

It was in math class that Daniel turned from his seat beside her and asked her a question.

"Can I talk to you after school?" His voice sounded a bit nervous.

Nita was surprised. She thought ahead. No, she didn't have anything planned with Kit, but why did Daniel want to talk to her, specifically after school? Why couldn't he ask whatever it was he wanted now? Still, she was curious.

"Sure. Where do you want to go?"

"Oh. I dunno. Want to go to Central Park? I haven't been there since I moved here." 

"Sure. It's great, you'll love it." Everyone should go to Central Park, Nita thought. Moving's no excuse.

"Alright. Meet you by the front doors?"

"Sure. Actually, It'll be a bit after school. I have to tell Kit that I can't walk back with him like I usually do."

"Cool." Daniel sounded relieved, for some reason. 

Nita met Kit at the fence as usual.

"Kit, I'm sorry. I can't walk back today, I'm going to central park." Nita apologized.

"Ok. I guess I can gate back. You going by yourself?" He seemed ready to invite himself along.

"Oh. Um, no. Daniel asked me to come with him. He said he had something to tell me." For some reason, Nita blushed.

"Oh." Kit looked surprised, and a little annoyed. "Ok. So, see you tomorrow? Or are you eating at our house tonight?"

"Yeah, I think I will. We don't have any food. Is that alright with your mom?"

"Yeah, you know she loves to have you over. Chicken tonight."

"Great. See you then."

"Bye."

Nita met up with Daniel at the front doors, and they walked side by side in silence for a few blocks, until they were in the park. About five minutes into the park when Daniel finally spoke.

"Do you want to sit down?" He gestured to a nearby bench. Nita nodded and lead the way. They sat, and Nita waited for Daniel to start. He sat fidgeting with his hands, so Nita prompted him.

"So? You said you had something to tell me?" 

"Oh, yeah." Daniel had a weird look on his face. "See, what I wanted to tell you…" He trailed off.

"What?"

"Ok. I don't really know how to say this, but I know what you are." Daniel looked her straight in the eye. Again she saw a curious dark flash in them. "I know you're a wizard."


	10. Chapter 10

Nita stared at him in shock, then thought maybe she hadn't heard correctly.

"What?"

"I said, I know you're a wizard. And Kit." Daniel spoke slower, as if trying to gauge her reaction.

"You know about wizards?"

"Yeah. But I'm not one." He said hurriedly, as if to assure her so she wouldn't worry.

Nita just sat there looking in disbelief. Then she processed the information.

"Like Millman?" Her counselor was the only other person, besides her and Kit's families, that she knew who knew about wizards.

"Who?"

"Never mind. How do you know about wizards?"

"I knew one back home. He was an old man who lived across the street from me. We were pretty close, but he told me a lot about wizardry. My mom had him come over a lot because he lived alone."

"How did you find out about me and Kit?"

"When I found out I was leaving, I asked him if there were any wizards where I was going. He looked it up, and you guys showed up. And Dairine. It was a stroke of luck that you're going to my school. I didn't even know there were wizards my age."

"Oh." Her mind was racing. This was a lot to take in. And it was so noisy here, a family with three little girls had set up a picnic right next to them.

Nita took a deep breath.

"Have you ever been to the moon?"

Daniel stared at her and shook his head.

"Do you want to?"

In a few minutes they were standing by a crater on the moon, looking at earth. Daniel gasped as he took it all in. Then he wordlessly turned to Nita and hugged her. Nita understood how he was feeling. When he stepped back, looking a little embarrassed, Nita smiled at him.

He stared at her for several long moments. The moment felt incredibly personal, and Nita was afraid to break the silence, or eye contact. His eyes seemed like they were looking into her mind. This went on for a minute or so before Nita began to feel uncomfortable. She cleared her throat.

"Ok. So you know about wizards. How much do you know? About… everything?"

"Well…" He paused, thinking. "I know that there's a lot more to the universe than scientists think. I know a lot about planets and species, Mr. Akney, the wizard I met, told me a lot about them. He was a big traveler. What else? I know the basics of wizardry, and a few words in the Speech. That's about it, though I'm sure I left a few things out.

"Ok. Wow. Obviosly you're pretty well informed." Nita was surprised by how much he knew, considering he wasn't a wizard. They stood there a few minutes in comfortable silence.

"Well, we should probably get back." Daniel said. "We've been up her for half an hour." 

"That was fast." Nita remarked. Then she turned to look at the earth in the distance. "It really puts things in perspective, doesn't it?" Gesturing toward the moon, Nia turned to look at Daniel.

"It really does." He was looking at her.

After Nita gated them back, they sat on a different bench where there were no noisy kids, and Nita relaxed back against it. In a way, she was glad Daniel knew about wizardry.

"So is that why you spend so much time with Kit? Being wizards?" Daniel asked unexpectedly.

"Um, yeah. We're partners."

"But you aren't, like, together?"

"No." For some reason, she blushed, thinking of Kit as her boyfriend… Well, she knew he never thought of her that way.

"Oh."

Nita looked at her watch.

"Oh, shoot, I've got to go. I'm eating at Kit's house tonight."

"Oh, ok. I'll walk with you until the path splits." Daniel walked next to her, close next to her, until they parted ways.

"Bye, Nita." Daniel said. "See you tomorrow."

Nita headed back in a daze to Kit's house, and walked in and up the stairs without even knocking. She pushed open Kit's door and sat on his bed without even realizing that he was already on it, leaned against the wall the bed was pushed up against, looking at his posters.

"Nita?" Kit looked at her weirdly, probably wondering if something was wrong with her.

"Oh." Nita shook herself out of the daze. "Sorry. I'm just thinking. And a little shocked."

"Why? What happened? Did Daniel do something?" Kit scooted over next to her.

"No. Well, Daniel knows that we're wizards."

"What?"

"Yeah." Nita told him everything Daniel had said, excluding the part about taking him to the moon. That seemed to personal to share.

Kit stared at her, his mouth hanging open.

"Like Millman?"

"Exactly what I thought."

"Huh." He said. "Cool!"

"What?" Well, now if we do something again, we won't have anything to hide! It'll be so much easier if we see him a lot. We won't have to worry about Roshaun, or Spot, or anything. Well, maybe something…"

Carmela opened the door as if on cue.

"Dinner's on." She gave Nita a look and headed downstairs. She would have to ask what that was for later.

They went down to dinner. Over chicken, the pair explained the recent developments to Kit's family. Carmela didn't seem very interested. She was more focused on sharing some of her ideas about refining the chocolate trade trapezoid of Heptini IIV, whatever that meant. Kit's parents were both interested in Daniel, but it didn't shock them as much as it had Nita and Kit.

After dinner, before she left, Nita followed Carmela into her room. Carmela had boxes of chocolate bars stacked on her table, and next to it a small laptop showing a page of changing characters in the Speech.

"What was that look for?" Nita asked her, sitting on Carmela's bed.

"What look?" Carmela replied innocently, examining her nails, painted baby pink.

"Earlier, in Kit's room when you came down for dinner."

"Oh, that look."

"Well?"

"It's just that you're so clueless sometimes!"

"About what?"

"Kit! He's head-over-heels for you and you can't even tell! I used to think it was cute, but now it's just over the top."

Nita gaped at her.

"What? Kit? No he's not!" In her dreams, she thought, but he would have said something, surely.

Carmela just shook her head.

"Ok, Carmela. Whatever you say. Night."

"You two would be so cute together. You just need to realize it."

"Night, 'Mela."

"Night, clueless Nita."

Nita transited home, lost in pleasant, if confusing, thoughts about Kit, and landed in the backyard.

Spot was standing on the grass on sevral legs, eyes pointed at the sky. Nita walked over to the little laptop.

"Um, Spot?" You doing ok?" A few of his eyes waggled in her direction, reminding her uncannily of Sker'ret.

"Certainly. I am just watching the stars. Dairine is… occupied at the moment."

"Oh, ok. What's Roshaun doing?"

"He is similarily occupied. Venus is overhead tonight. Brighter than most days." Nita glanced up.

"Yeah. Well, I'll see you later." The computer didn't reply, and walked towards the house.

She headed inside, closing the door behind her, to find her dad at the table drinking a cup of tea. She sat down next to him with a sigh.

"What's going on, honey? You look a little upset."

"I'm not upset, really. Something just came up, though, and I'm not sure what to think of it.

She explained to her dad about Daniel. Roshaun and Dairine came in right at the end of her explanation, so she had to start all over.

Dairine was interested, wondering if he knew what Spot was all along. Nita's father spent most of the conversation glaring at Roshaun, who had his arm around Dairine, and Nita knew that he had a clue as to what was going on upstairs. Roshaun seemed more of less indifferent, and looked like he was lost in his own little world.

Eventually Dairine went to bed and Roshaun to the basement, and just Nita and her father were left. Her dad sighed, looking up the stairs where Dairine had gone.

"Dairine is different somehow. Older. More mature." Nita nodded.

"I know. But that happens to everyone."

"I know. But this is different. She seems so… I don't know, whole, I suppose. Completed."

"Yeah. She and Roshaun are _friaith_, I think. There's no word for it in any earthly language."

"I sort of got that." Said her dad. "It sounded like it had a lot of layers."

"Everything understands the Speech, to some extent." She told him. "Friaith is when, it's hard to say it in English, let's see… when two people are like two halves of a whole, I guess. Like, they work in exact harmony, and are literally made for each other."

"Harmony?" asked her father, and Nita knew that he was thinking of how much Dairine disliked Roshaun at first.

"Sometimes even friaith don't realize that they're perfect for each other. We're just lucky Dair and Roshaun did."

"Hmm." While her dad pondered, Nita said goodnight and went upstairs. She peeked into Dairine's bedroom to see her sitting on her bed, holding Spot and smiling.


	11. Chapter 11

The Starsnuffer felt strange. He felt something that He could not place, some feeling from long ago. Before He was cast out, before He was alone. But now that He was alone, the feeling burned in His mind, and His instinct was to recoil from it. But He forced Himself to go closer, to the feeling, to the light, though it burned Him. It was not a hateful burning, but the burning of something so pure and alien that it hurt through its goodness. He embraced it.

True, His senses were somewhat dulled to experience things through an avatar form, but it served no immediate danger to Him. And the girl showed no sign of recognition.

He had contemplated posing as a wizard on earth. But that simply had to many consequences. Suppose the girl had wanted His help of errantry, to defeat Himself? Too many quandaries. Better to know of wizardry, but not use it. It increased His connection with His spark, His… His Nita.


	12. Chapter 12

Nita awoke excited the next morning. It took her a few moments to remember Daniel. He knew about wizards, that was it! She and Kit were going to ask if he could go over to Kit's house after school. She wondered vaguely if Carmela would try to sell him chocolate.

During a lull in her first class when she was supposed to be working on a worksheet, she turned to Daniel.

"Hey, Daniel. I have a question."

"What is it?" He put down his pencil and turned to her. He had been doodling on his paper, having already finished. He seemed to know just about everything any class went over, like he had known the material for years.

"You want to go over to Kit's house after school? You can meet Carmela."

"Sure. Who's Carmela? Is she another wizard?" Nita thought about this question for a second.

"You know, sometimes I can never tell. She says she isn't, but…"

He looked at her questioningly.

"You'll see."

They walked down to Kit's house after school, Dairine had decided to tag along until they reached Kit's house.

Dairine looked at Daniel, a slightly suspicious expression on her face.

"So, you know we're wizards?"

"Um, yeah. Is that ok?" Daniel looked apprehensive. _And for good reason._ Nita thought, glancing at Dairine's expression.

"I guess so." Dairine had a small frown on her face, her deep in thought expression. She turned to Nita.

"Do Tom and Carl know?"

"Oh. No, I haven't thought to tell them. I guess we can stop by today and introduce them. After we hang out at Kit's."

"Good point, Dair." Kit said.

"Tom and Carl?" Daniel looked a little nervous, and again Nita could have sworn he had contacts in. But maybe it was just a cloud passing over the sun.

"Our seniors. The higher ranking wizards in the area." Kit explained.

"Oh, right. We had some of those in Washington."

Dairine split down her and Nita's street while Kit, Nita, and Daniel walked on in silence.

"Why do I have to meet your seniors?" Daniel asked suddenly. He looked a little unsettled. "Don't you have other non-wizards who know about wizards?" Nita squinted at him.

"Well, yeah. But I think they'd still like to know about it. You know, just in case. It's not that big a deal, they're nice." Daniel only nodded.

They reached Kit's house and walked in to find Carmela talking to the TV. _It's a good thing Daniel knows about us. _Nita thought. _We'd have a bit of trouble explaining _that_._

"_Yeah, I've got as much as you want."_ Carmela was saying in the speech_. "Dark, twelve squares, mint condition, only five days old. Ok, I'll meet you there. Gate eleven hundred ninety-ten? Got it. Alright, and don't forget the merchandise."_

Carmela looked up to see all three of them staring at her. Kit had his eyes closed and was pinching the bridge of his knows.

"What? And Kit, you look like mama." Kit put his hand down and opened his eyes immediately.

"You're a wizard too?" Daniel asked, looking at Carmela in shock. "Why didn't you turn up in the manual when my neighbor looked?" She laughed.

"Me? No way. Who needs to be a wizard when you've got chocolate?"

"Carmela," Kit told him in a pained voice, "Is running an intergalactic chocolate trading business. Very profitable, apparently."

Daniel gawked at Carmela.

"What do you trade for?"

"Oh, this and that." Carmela said casually. "It depends on what they offer. Services, products, anything we agree on."

"Wow."

"Carmela," Nita said, "This is Daniel."

"Oh, _you're _Daniel. Nita and Kit told us about you at dinner. Do you know any of the Speech?"

"Um, a little. Enough to get by." Daniel looked uncomfortable.

"You want anything to eat?" Kit asked Daniel.

"Sure. I didn't have a very big lunch."

They walked to the kitchen, and Kit made three ham sandwiches.

"We should probably go see Tom after this." Kit said, a few crumbs dropping off his lips.

Daniel looked nervous again.

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely. And what are you so nervous about?" Daniel shrugged.

"I never met the seniors in our area. I don't really know what to expect." Nita smiled at Daniel.

"You don't need to worry. Tom and Carl are great."

They finished their sandwiches and went into the backyard.

"What do you think?" Kit asked Nita. "Walk or transit?" Nita glanced at Daniel.

"Transit." She said with a smile. She looked at Daniel while Kit laid the circle on the ground. "And let's keep a copy of his name in case we do anything else that includes him."

"Ok. Daniel, what's your full name?"

"Daniel Eli Lewis."

"What's your father's name?"

He told her, along with other information about himself, his favorite color, best subject in school, birthday, mother's maiden name, the last thing he ate, and a lot more. The whole process took about ten minutes. Finally Kit plugged Daniel's name into the circle and everyone stepped inside. Nita enjoyed seeing the slightly shocked and amazed expression on his face as they read the wizardry and set it loose.

A moment later they were in front of Tom and Carl's house, just in front of the steps. Nita looked at Daniel.

'That was incredible!" He said, looking excited. "Can we do it again?'

Nita and Kit shared an amused glance.

"Sure," Nita said, "We can go over to my place. But we need to see Tom and Carl first. This is their house."

They went up the steps and rang the bell.

"Coming!" Tom called, barely audible amid all the barking. The door opened and Tom was barreled aside by the two dogs, who leapt out the door and took off around the yard.

"Who's this?" Tom had stopped at the doorstep, and was looking at Daniel.

"This is Daniel." Kit told him. "He knows about wizards. Daniel, this is Tom. We thought you should know, you know, cause you're the seniors and all."

"Really? Why don't you all come on in? Coke, anyone?"

They sat at the table and drank their sodas while Daniel repeated the story he had told Nita in the park.

"That's very interesting." Tom said. "It's not every day you meet a non-wizard who knows about wizards." Tom looked at Daniel curiously, and then peered into his eyes, a small frown appearing on his face.

"Daniel, do you wear contacts?"

"That's exactly what I asked him!" Exclaimed Nita.

"Really?"

Daniel shifted in his seat.

"No, I don't wear contacts. I have pretty dark eyes, though." Tom kept looking at him, suspiciously like Dairine had.

"I see. Nita, Kit, could I talk to you for a minute in the kitchen?"

They glanced at each other and shrugged to Daniel, then got up and followed Tom out of the kitchen. Their senior turned to them.

"How did you guys get over here?"

"We transited." Kit said, looking surprised.

"Ah. And you filled Daniel's name in?"

They nodded.

"May I see it?"

Kit pulled out the string of characters in the Speech that was Daniel's name that they had copied and saved. Tom took it from them and stretched it out, peering closely at it and scrutinizing the length.

"Hm. Well, there doesn't seem to be anything unusual. I wonder, though. Did you two notice anything different about Daniel?"

"Nothing besides the eyes." Nita confirmed. Tom nodded and gestured for them to return to the living room.

They went back to the table where Daniel was finishing his Coke.

"We'd better get to my house." Nita said, standing up.

"Thanks for dropping by and letting us know." Tom said, "It was nice meeting you, Daniel. Come by anytime." He walked them to the door, but pulled Nita aside once the others were out of earshot.

"Nita, listen. His name seems legit, but be careful. Daniel seems nice, but there's just something there… I don't know. Just be on your guard, ok? Tell Kit, too."

"Sure, Tom. Don't worry."

They set up the circle again, plugging Daniel's name in along with theirs, and transited to Nita's backyard. Daniel stepped out, looking dazed, then turned and smiled at Nita.

"That is amazing!" Nita laughed.

"I know. I don't think I'll ever get used to it. I hope I don't, at least."

They walked inside to find- surprise surprise- Dairine and Roshaun arguing at the table.

"They're so bad for your teeth!"

"Maybe for you. Maybe it's different for my planet."

"They can't be good for anyone!"

"Lollipops again?" Nita asked wryly, glancing at one in the corner of Roshaun's mouth.

"They're terrible for your teeth!" Dairine protested to Nita.

"Hey, leave me out of it. And Daniel's here."

Both Roshaun and Dairine looked up at Daniel. He was staring at Roshaun.

"Wasn't your hair shorter yesterday?" Daniel asked Roshaun, whose hair was full length again, wizardry removed. Roshaun just looked at him, waiting for the penny to drop. It did. Daniel gawked at Roshaun.

"You're a wizard too?"

"Yes. And king of Wellakh, my planet." Roshaun sniffed haughtily.

"You're just lucky he didn't give you his full name." Dairine told Daniel, rolling her eyes. "You would've been here a while."

"You're really a king? Of another planet?" Daniel asked skeptically. "And how long could your name be?"

"Now you've done it." Kit told him. Roshaun sat up straight, and fixed his _I'm the king so I'm better than you _glare on his face.

"I am Roshaun ke Nelaid…" he treated them all to the longest possible version of his name, Daniel looked slightly stunned as he went on and on, and Nita, Kit, and Dairine all wore resigned expressions. When he finally finished he looked at Daniel expectantly.

"Um… that's a long name."

Roshaun looked slightly insulted. Dairine quickly stood up, pulling Roshaun to his feet.

"We'll be in the basement."

Daniel looked confused.

"The basement?"

"That's where Roshaun's pup tent is." Nita told him.

"Pup tent? And is he really from another planet?"

"It's a long story. But didn't you tell me you knew all about other planets and stuff?" Daniel shrugged.

"Well, yeah, but I've never met anyone from one before. How did he get here?" Nita explained about the exchange program they had participated in, Kit interrupting here and there to add. Daniel was looking thoroughly impressed by the end of the story.

"So, who's this Lone One?" He asked innocently. Nita and Kit stared at him.

"You don't know? Your wizard neighbor never mentioned the Lone Power to you? Ever?" Nita was stunned. For Daniel to know so much about wizardry already, and not know what wizardry was about? Weird.

"Well, yeah." Daniel said. "He told me a bit. But nothing in-depth. I just wondered what you thought."

"Hmm." Nita thought for a few minutes. "Ok. The Lone One is one of the Powers that Be, except… evil. He invented death when the universe was created, so the other powers cast Him out. He's why wizardry and wizards exist, basically. To slow entropy and death, His creations."

"He's who we fight against." Kit added. "Every time we're on errantry, and just in normal life." Daniel was frowning, but nodded.

"Have you… met Him before?" Daniel's voice was quiet. Nita nodded.

"Several times. Not something you'd want to do, believe me. He's not that nice to be around." Kit chuckled.

"You could say that. Or you could say that He's an evil maniac who keeps trying to destroy us." Nita noticed Daniel's eyes. They were dark, and seemed so forlorn that she felt she had to comfort him.

"It's alright, though." She said hurriedly. "You probably won't ever meet Him in person." She smiled reassuringly at him, and he jerked a transparent grin on his face in turn.

"Are you staying for dinner?" Nita asked Daniel. "It's in an hour."

"I don't think I can." Daniel looked regretful. "I have to be home in half an hour. In fact-" He glanced at his watch- "I'd better be going." He grinned at Nita and Kit. "Thanks for inviting me over! I had a great time meeting everyone."

"Anytime." Kit said, shaking Daniel's hand. Nita stood also and walked him to the door. She gave him a quick hug. When she pulled away, he was staring at her with an odd half smile on his face. "See you tomorrow in class!"

As Daniel walked down the street and turned the corner, Kit turned to Nita.

"I think he likes you." Kit raised his eyebrows and smirked. Nita blushed.

"No he doesn't. He just doesn't have many friends here. He's lonely."

"Whatever." But he smiled at her as she pushed him playfully. "But don't you think it's weird that everyone thinks he's wearing contacts or something?" Nita nodded.

"Yeah, but it might be a trick of the light. Then, they did get really dark a while ago when we were talking about you-know-who. Maybe it's just an emotion thing." Kit shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe."


	13. Chapter 13

He was in turmoil. He felt like He had a hole where His heart could have been. He had known it always, He supposed, but hearing it from her, hearing His spark pronounce her hatred of Him… if He could, He would have sobbed.

And His eyes. The eyes of the avatar would give Him away. There was no question, it was certain. The girl in particular could see the change.

Should He, could He, leave now? Have the boy Daniel move back to where He came from? Retreat? No, retreat was just another way to run away. Yes, she hated Him, but He could not leave her. No, the pain would be ten times worse than it was now. Perhaps… perhaps all was not lost, then. She had no reason to hate the boy He was posing as.

And all was _not_ lost, it appeared. For the weeks went on, one, two. Two weeks and He was not discovered. His confidence grew, and so did His… infatuation. His longing for His precious spark. For all the time spent in her presence, He only craved more. He craved her touch, her voice, her presence. He could not end His craving.

But no, for all of His patience, His planning, His control, He had slipped. By one minute error, He had lost it all. He knew it. It was only a matter of time now.


	14. Chapter 14

Nita stood looking at Daniel. They were in Nita's backyard, along with Kit. It was a relaxed scene, each of them leaning against a tree, in a circle, discussing various topics. What had made her look up at Daniel was that she had felt, rather than heard, a sharp intake of breath coming from His direction. She peered at him curiously.

"What is it?" She asked. "Have you heard of Him?" Kit was describing Dairine's ordeal, after a detailed explanation of what exactly an ordeal was. He had just reached the part when Peach had reappeared as the Winged Defender.

Daniel nodded slowly.

"I have." Nita started. His voice was low and his eyes were black. Pitch black, so black you could see no pupil whatsoever.

"Daniel…" She said, trailing off. His eyes widened as if realizing something.

"I have to go." He said, looking at his watch. "I was supposed to be home ten minutes ago. I'll see you in class tomorrow." With that abrupt excuse he all but fled to the side gate and down the street. Kit looked in bewilderment at Nita.

"What on earth was that?"

"Kit… his eyes were pitch black. They changed when you mentioned Peach." Kit frowned.

"That's weird. I wonder what's wrong." Nita just shook her head in bewilderment.

Nita awoke confused. It was a few seconds before she remembered what she was confused about. It was Daniel. There was going on with him, and try as she and Kit might, the answer eluded them. She had fallen asleep pondering the mystery.

She got up and dressed, thinking all the while. It wasn't until she was rinsing the soggy cornflakes out of her cereal bowl when it hit her.

Ronan.

Ronan! Yes! It all made perfect sense all of the sudden. Daniel's eyes, his agitation when the Winged Defender was brought up…. it all fit. Nita was certain.

_Kit!_

_Aaa! Not so loud! What?_

_Peach! Ronan! Daniel! _She was so excited that she couldn't form a sentence, so she showed him her realization in her head. Daniel had the Defender in his head just like Ronan did.

_Nita! You're a genius! _

_I know! It all fits, doesn't it?_

_Wait, how do we know for sure? _

That stumped Nita. Ronan hadn't realized who was in him until Nita had realized it and told him. And she found out because… She blocked Kit out of her head. She wasn't even sure why, actually, it was just a reflex.

_I know how to find out for sure. _She made sure to only let that single sentence out of the walls around her current train of thought.

_How?_

_Umm…_

She felt him peeking at what she was trying to block out.

_Oh. _

_See you at lunch. _

Nita cut the connection. Great. Now she felt guilty about Kit, who Carmela said liked her and she possibly liked back, and on top of all that she now had to deal with Daniel hosting the Defender. Peachy.

In homeroom she looked at Daniel with a mix of excitement and apprehension.

"Hey, Daniel?" He looked at her, his eyes barely meeting hers. She realized he was worried about the previous day.

"Yeah?" He said.

"Oh, um…" She hadn't thought about what do say. 'Hey, I think you've got a super powerful immortal spirit trapped in your head'? He'd think she was crazy, and she didn't even know for sure yet. It was probably better not to say anything until she did.

"I was just wondering if you want to do something after school? Go to central park again?" Good, that was a good plan.

"Ok." He smiled shyly at her.

She told Kit at lunch where they were going, and, when Daniel had gone to get a napkin, that she would tell him any news about the Defender afterwards.

After school Nita and Daniel walked to central park for the second dime. Nita had a strong sense of déjà vu.

"How about here?" Daniel asked, pointing to a bench. Nita looked; a couple was sitting on another a few feet away. Too public.

"Nah. Let's keep walking a little." They stopped after a few more minutes and sat on a bench that was shaded by trees, with no one around. They sat down and Daniel looked at Nita strangely.

"You look a little nervous. Are you ok? What's going on?"

This was very true. How would Daniel react, if the One's Champion really was there? Ronan hadn't coped very well, and he was a wizard. How would a non-wizard react? And then there was the very likely possibility that Daniel was just Daniel, and didn't have the Champion inside him, despite all the evidence. That would be a little awkward. She took a deep breath and looked at Daniel.

He stared back, his face open, and again Nita saw that shadow pass over his eyes. Right. She had to know.

"Daniel?"

"Yeah?"

"I need to do something."

"Go for it." He looked at her expectantly. She took another deep breath, steeled herself, leaned forward, and kissed him.

She vaguely felt his shock, but most of her attention was focused on his mind. She dived into it hurriedly, searching. She looked for the telltale flash of feathers, anything that resembled Peach. She saw nothing. Nothing that resembled Peach, anyway. But there was definitely something else. And that something was definitely not what she had been expecting.

While Daniel's mind was lacking in the red feathers department, it was certainly not lacking in pitch darkness. It was in shock that Nita processed the fact that Daniel's mind was completely, utterly, heart-breakingly pitch black. And not only black, but malevolent. True, the malevolence was not the prominent feeling, but Nita could sense it. And she knew it was not Peach who inhabited the body before her.

Nita jumped back, staring in shock and horror at Daniel. Then her expression morphed into terrified panic, and she turned and sprinted away. Faster and faster, she pounded across the pavement of the path and ducked into the cover of a grove of trees. She heard Daniel running and calling behind her.

"Nita, wait!" His voice sounded desperate, but Nita took no notice.

Unhooking a transit spell from her emergency charm bracelet, she flung it to the ground. She stepped into it, and appeared in Kit's room. He was leaning on the wall reading a book with a picture of the moon on it. She stared at him in shock, then curled up on his bed and closed her eyes. She felt Kit staring at her, but said nothing.

She just couldn't believe this about Daniel. The three of them had grown close in the two short weeks, the two of them especially, Daniel and Nita. They were close friends already, and she enjoyed the time spent with him. And now this… An image of her former friend Prayela flashed into her mind, and she forced it out.

The strangest thing, though, was not the darkness she had seen. It was the light that she had felt inside the darkness. A feeling radiating from the center, directed immediately towards her own invading mind. It had been a blinding sense of… love?


	15. Chapter 15

She knew. She had discovered Him, as He knew was inevitable. Why had He stayed? Why had He not listened to reason and gone those two weeks ago? His time to be close to her was at a close, and the fact ached like nothing else before. But something told Him to wait, not to leave yet. His time beside her was not complete.

He could not accept that His "quest" was over. He would not. He felt the draw still, tugging Him towards her.

Then what should He do? Should He follow her, for He knew where she was. Should He wait until she inevitably confronted him? Ah, yes, that was it. He would enter her dreams again, and face her there.


	16. Chapter 16

"Nita!" Kit yelled at her, shaking her shoulders. Nita opened her eyes to see Kit staring down at her, scared expression on his face. She could understand why, her arrival was pretty sudden.

"I'm ok." She told him. "Actually, no, I'm not. Far from it. You know, this is getting ridiculous, Kit. I'm just fed up with it all. Is this some kind of joke?"

"Why? What happened? Was Peach there? I mean, well, you know what I mean. Did he react badly?"

"We had it all wrong, Kit." Nita said slowly. "It was definitely not Peach who was there. Check it out."

She opened her mind and felt him examining the memory. She sensed him going over the whole thing twice, then a third time, examining the darkness, and then the light she had felt inside it.

Kit pulled away from her mind and looked at Nita.

"The Lone Power's in Daniel?"

"Not in Daniel." Nita corrected. "He is Daniel. He's a full blown avatar." Kit wore a look of horror.

"Why is He here? What does He want?"

"I have no idea." Nita replied grimly.

"What do we do?"

"I don't know."

Kit looked stumped for a minute before asking another question, dread in his voice.

"Could He be following you?" Nita's eyes widened.

"Maybe. Actually, probably. We better move, just in case. Let's transit to my house, we need to tell Dairine and Roshaun."

They appeared instantly in Nita's room, a small whoosh of displaced air emanating from the transit area.

"C'mon, Dair's probably in her room. They raced down the hall to Dairine's room, bursting through the door without knocking. The door banged loudly against the wall.

"Hey!" Dairine yelled. "Ever heard of knocking?" She and Roshaun were leaning against the wall with their heads together, evidently in the middle of a discussion.

"Dairine, no time for that. This is important. You know how Daniel's eyes have always been a little off?" Dairine nodded.

"But we all thought it was just a weird light thing."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't. Yesterday when we brought up Peach, his eyes turned pitch black and he ran away. It was really weird."

"Sounds weird. Go on." 

"So I had an idea about him. I thought, because of the eyes, and the reaction to the mention of the Defender, that he might be like Ronan, you know. Have the Defender inside of him." Roshaun nodded.

"It is a logical explanation. So, did you confirm this?"

"That's why we're here." Kit explained. "Nita did test her theory, but it is definitely not the Defender inside of Daniel. See for yourself." He gestured towards Nita.

She obligingly presented them all with the memory, Dairine and Roshaun concentrating on her mind.

"No way." This was Dairine, staring at Nita. "_He's _inside your friend? No, wait. Is Daniel an avatar?"

"Yup."

"So, Daniel is the Lone One. This is insane! What on earth is He doing _here_?"

"We have no clue." Kit said. "So start putting ideas out there."

"Well," Suggested Roshaun, "It would seem that the Isolate being inside Daniel and visiting Nita's dreams is connected. The time He first appeared in her dream corresponded to the night before Daniel appeared at your school, correct?" Nita nodded. "And that was the day of your assignment on KsarVihnnhu. So we can assume that His presence here and your mission are linked."

"It makes sense." Kit told Nita. "But what do we do?"

"Tell Tom and Carl." Dairine at once. "They probably have batter advice than us. I'll set up the circle." She set about laying out the diagram, and everyone filled their name in.

"It looks different, Dairine." Nita noticed. "What did you change?"

"I put a cloaker on the transit. If He wants to find us, He can't track us in transit."

"Good thinking." Kit commented. They stepped in the circle and took off. Nita could feel the cloaker activating and affecting the wizardry. It dulled the surge of power somewhat, and Nita experienced it as a blanket of fog hazing over the wizardry.

Carl opened the door after they had landed and rung the doorbell.

"Hey, guys. What's-" He was cut off as they all pushed past him into the house, looking nervously over their shoulders.

"Whoa! What's the rush?"

"We need some advice in a hurry." Nita told him.

"Right." Carl said. "That's what I'm here for. Let's sit in the living room." Once seated, Nita began.

"Ok. Do you know about Daniel?" Nita asked Carl.

"The boy that just moved here who knows about wizards? Yeah, Tom told me. Said there was something off about him. In his eyes."

"Yeah, way off. Especially yesterday, when we mentioned Peach and they turned pitch black." Carl frowned, like he knew where this was going. "Anyway, I was thinking about it, and I realized this morning that it was possible that the Defender was inside him, just like our friend Ronan from Ireland."

Carl looked surprised, but nodded.

"It makes sense. Go on."

"Well, since I discovered the Defender in Ronan last time, I thought I could tell if He was in Daniel. So I, um, tested it, you know, I sort of looked through his mind-" Nita glared at Kit when he smirked. "But I didn't exactly find Peach. Here." And for the third time that day, Nita opened her mind and replayed the memory.

Carl's eyes snapped open, and his expression was dark.

"Your friend is an avatar of the Lone Power?"

"Yep. Any idea what we do?"

"Well guys, I can think of a bunch of different ways to get rid of Him, but almost none of them are going to work in this situation. Has He tried to harm you in any way?"

"No. He's actually been pretty friendly. What does that mean?"

Carl shrugged.

"I'm just as stumped as you are. But now that His cover's been blown, chances are He'll retreat. Or He might do the opposite and attack. What did you do when you found out, Nita?"

"I jumped up, ran away, and transited to Kit's house."

"Probably the smart thing to do." Carl said wryly.

"I had a thought." Roshaun said, and explained to Carl this theory that Nita and Kit's assignment and His appearance were related.

"It makes sense. However, I won't be much help right now with what to do. I'll try to find out more. In the meantime, keep defensive spells on hand, and stick with a partner if you go out. Do some research, but be careful. Brush your teeth twice a day and eat your vegetables. That's all I've got. I'll talk to Tom when he gets back. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help, but we're having a minor crisis here as well."

"What happened?" Kit asked, concerned. Carl looked apologetic.

"Can't say, sorry. Later, though."

"Alright. Thanks, Carl." Nita said, getting up. "We'd better get going."

"Good luck. Be careful."

"We will."

They transited to Kit's house, cloaker still activated, appearing once again in Carmela's bedroom. She was typing rapidly in the Speech on a small laptop, and Nita glimpsed words like _trade routs _and _lightspeed converter_. She didn't even want to know.

"Hola, people." Carmela said, turning around. "What can I do for you?"

"Can you take a look at what was inside Daniel's head and tell us what you think of it?"

"Sure. Bring it on." Carmela's tone was blaze.

Nita paused briefly, wondering if mind communication would work with Carmela, considering she wasn't a wizard. Then she overlooked the thought and replayed the scene for Carmela; she was wizard enough.

When it was over, Carmela looked slightly shocked.

"So the Lone One is Daniel? Like all those bugs that we blasted?"

"Exactly." Kit said. "Except we have no idea why He's here."

"You don't have any ideas?" Carmela asked.

"Not really." Kit said. "Maybe to get rid of us? Five wizards are a lot to lose."

"Maybe." Carmela looked thoughtful. Then she turned to Nita. "But if I didn't know better, I'd say His focus right now is Nita. It sure seemed that way in that memory you showed me."

"How did you get that out of it?" Nita asked, brow furrowed.

"You guys are too focused on the big stuff." Carmela explained patronizingly. "You only say the darkness and hate part. That was most of it; I'll give you that. But didn't you notice what the feeling was when He sensed Nita's mind?" Nita frowned.

"I felt it."

"Exactly!" Carmela smiled. "He's not here to destroy anything, He's just got a crush on Nita!" Dairine choked, Nita laughed nervously, Roshaun looked slightly stunned, and Kit rolled his eyes.

"Carmela," Kit said, sounding slightly exasperated, "That is the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard."

"Suit yourself. You're the one that asked me, you know. And besides, didn't Tom tell you to trust my hunches? Well, this is more than a hunch; it's the actual answer." Carmela raised her eyebrows at Kit.

"Lot of help you are." Kit muttered.

The plodded out the room and down the stairs and sat around the kitchen table. Spot crawled out of Dairine's bag where he had been listening.

"Ok. Any ideas, anyone?" Dairine looked around at the group.

"Yeah," Kit said, "We need to get the Lone One to leave."

"Really?" Dairine asked sarcastically. Roshaun cut in,

"How do we do that?"

"Is it even possible to force him to leave?" Nita asked. "An avatar is almost as powerful as Him actually being here in person."

"Well, He must have a reason for being here. It's hardly a coincidence. He has a goal. If He accomplishes that goal, He'll probably leave. So, what's His goal? Ignoring Carmela's theory."

"It must have something to do with Nita." Roshaun said. "I don't think that it is wise to ignore Carmela, either. She picks up on things no one else notices, and your seniors had the same advice." Kit sighed.

"Fine. We won't ignore her idea, we'll just think of other possible scenarios. Anyone?"

"I don't think now that it was an odd coincidence that Daniel was placed in all the same classes as Nita." Continued Roshaun. "Maybe He wants something from her. Nita, do you have anything that the One would be interested in obtaining?"

"Um, I don't think so. A rowan wand?"

"That's too small. Think big."

"I really don't have anything. What about Kit? He knew we're partners, maybe He was trying to get to Kit through me. What have you got, Kit?"

"Well, I had Ponch. But the Lone One knows that he's… not here anymore. Let me see… nothing. If I do have something, it's news to me."

"I've got Spot." Dairine noted, glancing down at the laptop. "His connection to the motherboard is unique. He could be trying to get him. But what would the Lone Power do with a laptop? Or anything else, for that matter. He's a power. This doesn't make sense. "

"The most logical explanation," Roshaun said, "Is that He is trying to destroy us, so that there will be five less wizards on Earth. And maybe He was targeting your seniors as well."

"Yeah, but why would He be so careful not to be recognized? Why didn't He just blast us? Why take His time?" argued Dairine.

Roshaun shrugged.

"Maybe He's just here for the lollipops."

Dairine punched him on the arm.

"Alright, enough." Kit finally said after two more hours of discussion. "My brain hurts. I need food."

"Let's go to my house." Nita said. "We can have, um, spaghetti."

"Is that all you have at your house? Like, ever?" complained Kit.

"Fine. Stay here. I could care less. You know, leave me alone while the Lone One's out to get me. Great partner."

"That's ok, I like spaghetti." Kit smiled and nudged her with his shoulder.

They were in Nita's kitchen eating pasta when Dairine had the brain wave.

"Neets!" She sprayed pasta bits across the table in her excitement.

"Gross, Dair! Chew and swallow."

"No time for that. I've got it! It's your dream! The Lone One'll probably go in your dreams again tonight like those other times. And this time, He'll probably tell you what He's doing here."

"Dairine," Kit said, stunned, "You're a genius."

"I know." Dairine grinned and stuck her tongue out at Kit.

"So modest." Kit muttered.


	17. Chapter 17

Nita fixed her charm bracelet of spells, offensive and defensive, around her wrist and climbed into bed. She took a few calming breaths. Someone knocked at her door.

"Come in."

Dairine entered the room and sat at the bottom of her bed.

"Neets, you gonna be ok?" Dairine looked worried.

Nita rolled her eyes.

"Course, Dair. He might not even show. And even if He does, I'll be prepared." She jangled her charm bracelet. "Plus, I can always just wake up."

"I don't think you have to worry about Him not showing. And I was thinking, I know you can't sleep while I'm watching, but when you're asleep I'll come in, ok? If anything happens, and you need to wake up, just think it really loud. I'll be listening for anything and I can wake you up. Is that alright?"

Nita tried not to show how relieved she felt.

"Yeah, that's great. Thanks. Dair. I'll try to get to sleep fast."

"Ok. Night Nita, and Good luck."

"Thanks."

Dairine turned and walked out of the room, and Nita turned off the light and rolled over. Nerves kept her awake for a while, but eventually her sheer exhaustion took over and sent her spiraling into sleep.

He was waiting. Standing in the usual surrounding, the end of her dream path, gazing at the spell along the walls. His face was passive, but that meant nothing, and Nita knew it. He could be preparing to kill her behind the calm expression. She gripped her charm bracelet tightly, fingering the shield spell, and walked forward. She took a deep, calming breath.

"Fairest and Fallen, Greeting and Defiance." She said to Him, stopping a few feet in front of Him. She waited for Him to say something, anything, and finally, finally He did.

Tilting His head slightly to one side, as if considering her, he spoke. A movement caught her eye. His hands were trembling.

"Greeting also, Nita Callahan."

Nita was taken aback at the short sentence. His voice did not carry its usual cold and demeaning tone, but something much softer and quieter. Almost afraid. She looked at Him, but He only stared at her, not looking like He was going to say any more.

"I know that Daniel is an avatar. Why are you here? What do you want?"

He spoke again:

"I mean you no harm."

Surprised, Nita considered this sentence. Was He lying? No, He was using the speech, so He could not lie. And even so, what would be the point in lying? So, if He was not lying, and He was not here to harm her, then why _was_ He here? He hadn't answered her question, either.

"What do you want?" Nita repeated.

The Lone One did not reply. This was ridiculous. How many times before had she faced this same Power, and triumphed? And how many times had this same being been the embodiment of hatred and evil, belittling and cursing her and her planet? This was not the same Power that stood before her, shy and quiet, and Nita was getting fed up with this new personality.

"Are you not going to talk again?" Nita asked, annoyed. "Why are you in an avatar at my school? What do you want? If you mean no harm, then what possible use could you have for impersonating a friend?"

"I could not tell you, for I do not know myself." The sudden reply caught Nita off guard. Had he found a way to lie in the speech? And if not, why in the universe would He be admitting it to her?

"Do you want to take something?" Maybe Roshaun was right; maybe she or Kit or Dairine had something that He wanted. Spot, maybe?

He considered it.

"No."

_It's like playing twenty questions! _Nita thought. _Are you an animal, plant, or mineral?_

Before she could stop herself, she asked:

"Do you have four legs?"

Nita mentally smacked herself on the forehead. Way to go, making fun of someone who was probably about to kill her.

The Lone Power looked offended, and a familiar edge came back to His eyes.

"Do not mock me, wizard. I…" He trailed off, and the sharpness in His eyes faded into a depressing softness.

"You are different." Nita noted. "Why don't you kill me? You said you mean me no harm, but why? Why are you even here?"

He said nothing, but Nita was tired of His silence. She reached out suddenly and forcefully with her mind, taking the Lone Power off guard. Her mind itself was more receptive than usual, because, in a way, she was in her own mind.

Looking into the Lone One's consciousness was different from the fragment that an avatar possessed. A fragment versus the whole. And the whole was enormous and overwhelming. She felt Him recoiling, trying to pull back, but Nita followed, persistently delving into His mind with an iron resolve. She wanted answers.

The first thing Nita noticed in the Lone One's mind was enough to confirm her growing suspicion that Carmela was right. A single feeling filled the front of His mind, the part He was focused on currently. The same overwhelming feeling that she had felt inside the avatar, that was so utterly _unlike_ the Lone One.

Nita receded in shock, staring at the Lone Power. He actually stumbled backward. His eyes were wide, and He looked slightly panicked. More than slightly. He looked uncharacteristically terrified.

Out of a dozen things flashing through her thoughts right now, she chose to think one of them.

_Uh…_

She voiced her thoughts.

"Uh…"

He just stared at her, looking like He was ready to run. Nita grabbed a spell off of her bracelet and flung it out in a circle around them just in time. She could feel the Lone One trying to leave, to disappear out of her dream, and discovering that He was blocked. Anger flashed over His face, but it was quickly smoothed over by a look of indifference. He spoke, and His tone was bored and disdainful, but Nita could see through the thin mask easily.

"Why will you not let me leave, girl?"

Nita heard something in His tone that made it seem like He already knew the answer.

"Look who's asking the questions now." Nita noted. "You're not leaving until I get some answers."

"What answers could you want from me?" The Lone One asked coldly, looking at her. But again Nita knew that the coldness was an act.

"Why are you here?" Nita asked again, her voice softer, almost pleading. The Lone One looked at her slowly. His mask seemed to crack and shatter before Nita's eyes. It was a look of such hopeless sorrow that Nita felt her heart reaching out to Him against her will. He stepped forward, resigned to His fate.

"This is why." His voice cracked, and He opened His mind.

Images and feelings flashed through Nita's mind. She felt through the Lone Power's view.

A spark, in the corner of her eye. Looking down at herself, seeing that same spark, sparking tauntingly in her eyes. Longing. Needing the flash, no, the feeling that came with it. Watching herself, and the curious spark of life in her on earth, for days and weeks. Craving, needing her spark, she was obsessed. Dread that she had been discovered, then a glorious, painful feeling erupting throughout her, enveloping her. A name coming with the feeling. Watching herself sprint away, a wave of overwhelming sadness and desperation. Then here, now, watching herself with the feeling erupting inside her, threatening to overwhelm.

Nita gasped, and the images stopped. She was breathing heavy, as if she had just run a mile, and she staggered back. The Lone Power was looking at her, His face weary and resigned, lost and broken and confused.

"You…" Nita trailed off, looking at Him. "You…"

The Lone Power only looked at her.

"Let me leave." His voice was heavy.

"No." Nita stepped forward, peering up at His face, searching.

"Why are you here?" She repeated forcefully, meeting His eyes, a challenge. "Tell me. Say it."

He shook at her closeness, but did not move away. A shudder ran through His body, and He closed His eyes as He replied, so as not to see her reaction.

"Because… I love you."


	18. Chapter 18

Nita caught her breath. Something inside her chest jumped a little, and she felt something like an electric shock. She breathed deeply out.

"You do?"

"Yes." Nita said nothing.

The Lone One took a step back and turned away from her.

"I am… sorry." He said morosely.

"No-" She started, but He cut her off, still facing away.

"I'll leave."

"You won't keep the avatar on earth, you mean?"

"Yes."

"Alright." Nita was speechless. This was so bizarre, but she had the oddest feeling in her chest making her feel… strange. And a little tingly. _Great._ She thought. _Just what I need to be right now. Tingly._

"Let me leave now." He told her, sounding defeated and lost.

"Wait." Nita was finding it hard to speak now.

"What?" He half turned toward her, accidentally meeting her eye. As Nita looked into the depths of the blackness His eyes contained, she understood something that she had not realized before, when seeing His memories. It was the fact that He viewed her as an icon of light, the first light and good thing that had affected Him since He was cast out. Something in her chest twisted painfully. Really, all He was was someone looking for something good in the universe.

"It's alright." Nita said, taking a step forward. She felt compelled to ease His suffering somehow, despite her mind screaming at her to remember the evil being He really was.

"What do you mean?" He turned to face her fully, painful hope flickering across His face before being quelled.

"It's alright that you love me. I think that it might be a good thing."

"What do you mean?" He repeated.

"I think you're changing. The affects of Dairine's ordeal are starting to affect you, like all the other versions of you in a domino effect. This is just one of the effects."

"You- It does not bother you?"

"No." She said patiently. _Yes!_ Her mind screamed at her. _Yes, you do!_

"Then do you-" He started, but Nita interrupted, painfully aware of what was coming.

"No. I mean, I don't think so. It almost feels like part of me… " Nita frowned. Where had that come from? She certainly hadn't meant to say it. But still, that fluttering in her chest…

The Lone One stared at her, something like hope in His eyes again.

"You… do?"

"I… I don't… I don't know. It doesn't matter, anyways." Nita put a hand to her head. It was aching, a rhythmic pounding drumming on the inside.

"Why?" She clutched her head harder at the question. What was going on?

"Well, you're, you're a Power." She gasped. "And, like, a gazillion years old. It would be really… weird." That was an understatement.

"I would make you a Power!" He said a touch wildly, staring at her in bewilderment.

"What? Can you do that?"

"Yes. I could do it. I would."

Nita shook her head, trying to clear it. This was insane. She did not love the Lone Power, and did not want to become a Power. So what was she saying? But even now she felt a pull insider her, like she was splitting in two. This whole thing was too confusing. The splitting headache was only making it worse.

"Even if I was a Power," She heard herself saying, "I would be a Power for good."

"It would not matter." The Lone One replied. "It would change nothing. Are you-" He trailed off, but Nita knew what He was going to ask. _Are you actually considering this? _Was she? Nita was frustrated. With the Lone Power and herself.

"No." She said. "I, I… I don't…" The headache was too much. She had a pain in her chest now, that felt like she was being broken in two. Nita lost her composure and fell to her knees, clutching her head. What was going on?

"What is wrong?" She heard worry in His voice, and He crouched beside her. The part of her that wasn't focusing on the pain searing her body noticed that it seemed like He actually did care about her.

"I… I don't know! I feel like I'm splitting half!"

_You are._

"What?"

"I did not say anything." The Lone One replied, actually sounding panicked.

_Bobo? Is that you? _

_Yes. _

_Finally. Where have you been? What do you mean, I am? What's happening to me?_

_You are splitting in two. On some level, anyway. It was all planned, meant to be. _

_Stop with the riddles! Tell me, in understandable words, what is going on? Because it really hurts!_

_It is the Powers' doing. Stop fighting it. Let destiny run its course. _

_I'm not fighting anything!_

_You are. Unconsciously. _Part of Nita noted the humor in this, as she was technically asleep. _Stop fighting, accept Him. Play your part._

_What, how? If I do it, will the pain stop?_

_Yes._

_Anything! Show me what to do! _A spell appeared, laid out in her head. She started without hesitation, for the pain was now unbearable.

Caught up in the wizardry, she took no notice of what was happening to her physically. She shook, glowing in bright light. As she shook, she shed wafers of golden light, one after another, vibrating and shining. On and on it went, and Nita could almost feel layers of her mind peeling away. A gut-wrenching tug, and the wizardry was nearly over. Nita tried to collapse on the ground, thinking it was complete, but instead, she was forced straight up, head back, arms spread wide, staring into the sky. One more painful pull from her center, and she was released.

And then whatever was holding her there ended, and she sank to her knees. And she saw, out of the corner of her eye, someone doing the same thing.

Nita looked up, startled, and went from to startled to incredulous. She was looking at herself.

"What is-?" She started to say, and then stopped. And smiled. Now what Bobo had said came back, and she understood.

She turned to the Lone Power, who was kneeling beside her staring in shock and confusion at the two Nita's.

"What is going on?" He asked.

"Look!" She said excitedly, staggering to her feet. The Lone One caught her when she stumbled forward and helped her up. Nita pointed to the other Nita. "It's perfect. See, apparently this whole thing was just some plot of the other Powers. But that doesn't matter, because this other me is the solution to this whole problem! Now, this is the part of me that was splitting off, the part of me that loves you and will become a power!"

The Lone One looked angry for a moment, at the mention of the other Powers, then a look of understanding and astonishment dawned on His face. He stared at the other Nita, who had since stood up, and a look of wonder passed over His face. He looked at her.

"You will become a Power with me?"

The new Nita nodded. She was smiling slightly.

"A Power for good." She asserted, in a tone identical to Nita's.

The Lone Power nodded. He stepped forward, and placed two trembling fingers in the center of her forehead. He breathed in deeply, and exhaled. A shimmer of golden light erupted where the contact was made, and the other Nita shone with the light from inside her. The light grew so blinding that Nita almost covered her eyes to shield them, but forced herself to watch.

And then it was done. The other Nita still stood there, but something was different. She shone with an internal light, and looked beautiful and timeless. The Power smiled gently at the Lone One, who looked awestruck. Then, Her form morphed, and She appeared an older form of Nita, but not Nita, wearing jeans and a blue shirt, still shining. Then She turned to Nita, smiling widely.

"Thank you, Nita. You set me free." Nita just stared up at Her, astounded.

"It… uh, it was nothing."

The Power stepped over to her.

"I must depart. But know that you have caused and released another good Power in the universe, and we owe you a tremendous debt. Oh, and Carmela is right about Kit."

The Power smiled, then straightened up and turned back to the Lone One, who was gazing at Her with an odd expression on His face. She walked to His side, and took His hand. He looked still in a daze, and touched Her cheek with a trembling hand. She looked at Him warmly.

"Come. Our business is done here." Together, they vanished.

Nita glanced up, even though she knew she would not see her sister.

_Dairine?_ She called loudly.

The next moment she was lying face up on her bed, and Dairine was shaking her shoulders.

"It's ok, Dair, I'm awake."

"Are you ok?" Dairine asked, looking worried. "What happened? Did He attack you?"

"No, Dair, it's over, everything's fine. I just wanted to wake up so I could tell everyone what happened."

"What did happen?" She asked.

"Carmela was right, Dair." Nita smiled, feeling unexpectedly light and content.

"Carmela?" Dairine's eyes widened. "No…"

"Yes. The Lone Power loves me."

Dairine was shocked into silence for a split second.

"Um, Nita? Did you just say the Lone One loves you?"

"Yeah." Nita laughed, and told her what had happened in her dreaming mind. Dairine lasted the entire story without interrupting.

"Wow. That's crazy! You're a Power!"

"Not really. I just had a Power inside me. Like Ronan, except it was a new Power. That was me, but then not. Wow, that's really confusing."

"Yeah, whatever. What are you gonna do?"

"Right now, I need to go talk to Kit. He'll probably want to know everything."

Dairine snapped back into character.

"That the only reason you're going over?" She smirked.

"Lay off, Dair. I'm too tired for that. What time is it?"

"Three am."

"Ok. If Dad asks, just tell him… everything that happened. Bye."

Nita laid out the circle and stepped into it, coming out with a pop in Kit's bedroom. He was sitting up in bed reading what looked like a book about Jupiter.

"Nita?" Kit looked up, dropping his book.

"What are you doing up?" Nita asked tiredly, looking at him. Her exhaustion from the whole affair had just kicked in.

"I was worried about you. I couldn't sleep. And I was hoping you'd drop by to tell me everything. What happened? Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Nita sank onto the bed beside him, looking at him. "Everything turned out fine, believe it or not."

"You look beat. Tell me what happened."

So Nita told him. She recounted every single detail, leaving not a thing out, no matter how awkward. A few minutes after she was done, Nita dared to look up at Kit. He was looking at her, his expression stunned.

"Good grief. That's pretty freaky, Neets. But really cool at the same time. You're a Power!"

Nita laughed.

"What did She mean, about Carmela?"

"Oh, just something Carmela said to me…" Nita trailed off, embarrassed.

"What?"

"Well," Nita blushed, "Carmela told me the other day that you, um, like me."

She glanced up at him. He was blushing furiously.

"Hey, it's ok. I'll tell you a secret." Nita leant toward him, smiling slightly. "I like you too."

He smiled happily, then leaned toward her and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. Nita circled her arms around him, and they kissed for who-knows-how-long, immersed in each other' s minds. When they pulled apart they just smiled goofily at each other. Then Kit laughed.

"I have to say, I'm glad you chose me over the Lone One." Nita punched him, but snorted in laughter.

There was a knock on the door. Without waiting for anyone to answer, Carmela bounced in.

"I thought I heard voices! How did it go, Nita?" But she had a knowing look in her eye. Nita sighed. How did Carmela know everything? It was uncanny.

So Nita recounted, one more time, what had happened in her subconscious world. When she was done, Carmela did a little victory dance around Kit's room.

"I was right! The most ridiculous theory ever, eh, Kit? Ha! And I see I was right about something else too, huh, Nita?" Carmela winked at her.

Nita tried to look annoyed, but couldn't quite manage it and ended up smiling.


	19. Chapter 19

Nita woke up and glanced around herself. For a moment she didn't know where she was. She realized she must have had fallen asleep on Kit's bed while talking to Carmela.

She sat up and glanced around. She was alone in the room, stretched out across the bed. Climbing out of the bed, Nita thought over last night's events and smiled. It seemed like everything had been worked out. In a pretty perfect way, too. Who would have thought?

When she emerged in the living room, she saw Kit sprawled on the couch, snoring, half hanging off the edge. Deciding not to wake him, and feeling vaguely guilty about taking his bed, Nita walked into the kitchen where Carmela was sitting at the table eating cereal and reading a garish pink magazine.

"Morning, 'Mela." Nita said, stifling a yawn. Carmela glanced up and smiled at her.

"So… What have we learned from this little adventure, Nita?" She asked, talking slowly and clearly as if to a toddler.

"I have no idea." Nita replied, keeping a straight face.

"Nitaaa!"

"Oh, fine. You're always right." Nita shook her head. It was weird, but true.

"You know it." Carmela grinned, then stuck a spoonful of cereal in her mouth.

"I have some doubts about that." Kit said, then yawned, coming into the kitchen.

"Kit! I'm sorry I stole your bed." Nita said sheepishly.

"It's fine. It was really funny, though. Carmela was telling you something, and all the sudden you just kinda slumped over sideways. We thought you passed out or something, but then you started snoring." Kit laughed.

"Sleeping beauty." said Carmela.

"Very funny." Nita grinned. "Wanna go over to my house? My dad is probably freaked."

"Sure." yawned Kit, "We're out of cornflakes. You coming, 'Mela?"

"Might as well. I like cornflakes as much as the next person." Kit started setting up the transit.

They landed in the backyard, and almost immediately heard Dairine yell:

"Nita!"

Nita looked at her in surprise.

"What? What's going on?"

"You didn't come back last night! We were worried. We've been out here waiting for a while." Nita noticed Roshaun standing silently beside Dairine.

"It's ok, I'm fine. I just fell asleep at Kit's house."

"Hmph." Dairine turned away, pulling Roshaun into the house, calling:

"It's ok Dad! She was at Kit's."

Nita sighed.

"Let's go."

They didn't discuss anything over their cornflakes, there was nothing to say. No one wanted to bring it up, and they silently agreed that the matter was closed. Dairine had explained everything to Roshaun and their dad while Nita was at Kit's.

"Should we tell Tom and Carl that everything's fine?" Dairine finally asked.

"Yeah, I'll go over later." Nita said, massaging her head. "Right now I'm gonna watch TV. I don't want to think any more. I can't deal with any more headaches."

Dairine smirked at Nita as Kit stood up with her, taking Nita's hand.

Nita glared at her, but couldn't hold it and smiled in spite of herself.

"Look who's talking." She told her sister, glancing at Roshaun.

She sat down next to Kit on the couch and turned on the TV.

_Next on, a documentary on Halphdgc's research on the native microbes of Icho, and their migration patterns._

"Carmela!" Nita yelled. "What did you do to our TV?"

"Well," came the reply. "It was so boring before. Not even one good shopping channel!"


	20. Chapter 20

**Here it is, my friends! The last chapter! Thanks to all, for reading and reviewing. **

**LazyLazyJane: Thanks for reviewing. I really, really, really appreciate it. ;) Hope this chapter satisfies, and review!**

**foxylittlelady: I don't have much of an opinion about Nita/Kit. I like unusual pairings (see this fic) but none would really work out (see this fic again). I've never thought of the Lone One becoming human, I wonder how that would work. Keep reviewing!  
**

**One more note: I have a spinoff fic called Bond, which is based on one sentence in chapter 10, a mention of _Friaith_. I will be revising the fic, but if you liked Spark then I would recommed it.**

**I'm sad this is the last chapter, but I hope it's as good as the rest! Remember I still want reviews!  
**

His mind was reeling, spinning on its axis. If it had an axis anymore. If it did, He could not feel it. He could only focus on one feeling, that consumed him from the inside out. One feeling, one tearing, ripping, scalding, _rapturous_ feeling that He could now name. Love. It seared His soul, and healed it in harmony with the pain.

Yet, a fraction of that unbearably glorious feeling of Love- Love, which He had nearly forgotten- was pushed aside to make room for one more myriad feeling. Content. He was content. Incredible, inconceivable, but true. A lost feeling that was only remembered from the days before he was cast out, formerly embroiled deep down in the depths of hatred from where it emerged, triumphant and champion. He reveled in it.

He knew, somehow, that all was well. Something had irrevocably, inevitably gone right. Some old, broken part of Him was healed, and was bright once again. He no longer feared that light. He embraced it, and burned in it. A magnificent burning. The burning filled Him, opposed Him, and cleansed Him. And _Loved _Him.

He turned, and saw _His_ spark.


End file.
